Jhye Richardson admits he was a little surprised by his call up to the Australia squad for the Boxing Day Test but is feeling “really good” should an opportunity for an international comeback arise against India. Jhye Richardson, who played for Perth Scorchers on Saturday in Hobart but will sit out Monday night’s clash with Melbourne Renegades ahead of a potential Test return, was one of two new faces alongside teenage opener Sam Konstas named in a 15-player squad to take on India in the fourth Test.
The 28-year-old speedster Jhye Richardson went wicketless in the Scorchers’ loss to the Hurricanes after earning player of the match honours for his 3-19 in their KFC BBL|14 season opening win over Melbourne Stars last Sunday.
Jhye Richardson’s career in brief
19-year-old Sam Konstas has been added to the Australian Test squad in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy for the remaining two Tests in Melbourne and Sydney. The teenage prospect scored an impressive ton against India representing the Prime Minister’s XI earlier this month in the warm-up game at Canberra.
Nathan McSweeney who made his debut in Perth has had his fair share of troubles against the likes of Indian ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah as a result has been axed from the squad.
In addition to the change in the batting department, with Josh Hazlewood getting ruled out of the series with an injury the selectors have named West Australian Jhye Richardson as replacement. The 28-year-old in three Tests he played so far has picked up 11 wickets at an average of 22.09. Once considered amongst fast bowlers with a lot of potential in Australian cricket Jhye Richardson’s career has been curtailed by injuries.
Currently, the right-armer has played just one four-day match this season, but his immense talent was immediately on display as he took consecutive wickets in his first over of Western Australia’s pink-ball contest against South Australia at Adelaide Oval last month. Jhye Richardson also took immense confidence from returning to bowl after dislocating his right shoulder celebrating the second of those wickets.
Such was his excitement with being on a hat-trick in his first over in the Sheffield Shield in almost a year, his third ‘high five’ with debutant Keaton Critchell caught his shoulder joint at a “weird angle” that resulted in dislocation. Jhye Richardson left the field momentarily for treatment to put the shoulder back in place as Lance Morris completed a hat-trick of dismissals from the River End of Adelaide Oval by dismissing Jake Lehmann with his first ball of the match.
Jhye Richardson returned to bowl another 14 overs in the first innings to finish with 3-47, and sent down another 14 overs in the second innings for a return of 1-38. His shoulder issue is just one of several injury challenges the three-Test quick has faced throughout his career, having surgery on the joint in 2020 and still being unable to throw the ball in from the boundary.
Jhye Richardson’s surprise over his elevation to the Test squad was more to do with his gradual build up to long-form cricket during the first half of the domestic season than anything else, as he’s consistently proved when he does play that he’s one of the most skillful bowlers in the country.
Just last Sunday, Jhye Richardson told reporters it was “unrealistic” for him to be thinking about a return to international cricket with his main focus getting a consistent run of matches under his belt.
Jhye Richardson Is ‘Really Excited’ For Australia Test Return For Last Two BGT Tests Against India
Australia pacer Jhye Richardson is excited over his return to the Test side for the final two games against India in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
Australia have added Richardson as an extra pace option in the squad after a calf injury ruled Josh Hazlewood out of the series. Jhye Richardson admitted he was somewhat surprised by his call-up to Australia’s squad for the Boxing Day Test but feels ‘really good’ about the prospect of an international comeback against India.
Jhye Richardson, who featured for the Perth Scorchers on Saturday in Hobart, will skip Monday night’s match against Melbourne Renegades to prepare for a potential Test return. The 28-year-old pacer and teenage opener Sam Konstas were the two fresh faces named in Australia’s 15-player squad for the remainder of the series.
“Even a week ago, I was like, ‘I’m not really thinking about that just yet’,” Richardson said on Fox Cricket during the Scorchers’ clash with the Hurricanes on Saturday.
“I just wanted to stay on the park and play Big Bash cricket and make sure that the body was OK and keep ramping up (the workloads) and following the processes that we’ve got in place. But here we are, and if there’s an opportunity, then it’s obviously really exciting.”
In the Scorchers’ recent loss to the Hobart Hurricanes, Richardson went wicketless, a contrast to his standout performance in their BBL season opener, where he claimed 3-19 against the Melbourne Stars, earning Player of the Match honors.
The speedster’s surprise at his selection stemmed from his gradual return to long-form cricket this domestic season. Despite limited opportunities, Richardson has consistently demonstrated his exceptional skill as one of Australia’s top bowlers when fit.
Only a week earlier, Richardson had told reporters it was ‘unrealistic’ to consider an international return, with his focus primarily on achieving consistent match fitness. He has played just one four-day game this season but made an immediate impact, taking two wickets in his first over during Western Australia’s pink-ball Shield match against South Australia in Adelaide last month.
Richardson’s confidence also grew after successfully returning to bowl following a dislocated shoulder sustained while celebrating one of those wickets.
Although he has played two T20 matches for the Scorchers since that first-class appearance, Richardson said shifting to Test cricket wouldn’t be difficult, as much of his summer training has focused on conditioning for the longer format.
“I’d probably argue that I’ve had less white-ball practice leading into this Big Bash. Having played a couple of second XI games and a Shield game, we’ve really been prioritizing trying to build (my bowling) loads to get my body right for four-day cricket,” Richardson said.
“So I’ll probably find it easier to go back to red-ball cricket just from a preparation point of view.”
The pacer’s return has been carefully managed after a series of injuries, including a side strain midway through last season’s Big Bash and hamstring surgery nine months earlier. This summer, he has played four of WA’s five One-Day Cup matches, two second XI games, and one Shield match before sitting out their most recent Shield game, which WA lost to NSW.
The Test squad assembled in Melbourne on Sunday and will train at the MCG on Monday afternoon. Emerging WA quick Bryce Jackson, who took 6-31 against South Australia in a one-dayer in September, has replaced Richardson in the Scorchers’ squad to face the Renegades.