Tayla Vlaeminck won't feature until T20Is as Australia focus on protecting young quicks

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The workloads, especially around the day-night Test, will be closely monitored by coaching staff

The next generation: Maitlan Brown, Tayla Vlaeminck, Stella Campbell and Darcie Brown  

Australia fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck will not be considered for selection until the T20I series against India next month as head coach Matthew Mott weights up the delicate balancing act of protecting the young quick bowlers.

Mott confirmed that Vlaeminck, who missed last year’s T20 World Cup with a stress fracture of her foot, had suffered some injury niggles during her pre-season in Victoria and a cautious approach would be taken to increasing her workloads with an eye on next year’s ODI World Cup in New Zealand.

Vlaeminck had made her international comeback on the tour of New Zealand in March and April where she played four of the six matches although one was washed out.

He also conceded that how to get Australia’s pace bowlers through the day-night Test with very limited preparation – which has included 14 days hard quarantine for those from Victoria and New South Wales – had been the “biggest headache” leading into this series. The squad had their first hit out on Thursday in an intra-squad match.

Australia were already without swing bowler Megan Schutt and left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen for this series so the attack will have a youthful look. Mott expected every player in the squad would get a game over the course of the seven matches, which begin with the first ODI on September 21.

“It’s a congested schedule so we’ll have to churn through some bowlers, the young bowlers will need to be managed really well particularly with the preparation we’ve had,” he said. “The first couple of days were always the danger period, so getting a match like that under our belt was absolute gold.

“It’s definitely given the [Sport Science Sport Medicine] staff the biggest headache in the off-season, planning for that Test, because we are used to so much one-day cricket. Managing the loads and building them up nicely has been the way, then we’ve had to compromise with tools down for 14 days. It will be a challenge, but it is for both teams.”

Mott saw the spinners taking on a significant amount of work in the Test – tipping left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux to fill the role vacated by Jonassen’s injury and Ash Gardner’s offspin to be used more – with the quicks saved for short bursts.
The chance of a Test debut for Darcie Brown, one of the few players who did not need to undergo the 14 days hard quarantine as she lives in Adelaide, has improved significantly. Stella Campbell and Maitlan Brown, who are both uncapped at international level, will also be in the frame.

“They are resilient, strong players but they are young and history suggests they are at their most vulnerable age so we’ll have to be really smart about what the one-day series looks like and how we can graduate their loads safely,” Mott said.

“What we have found in our stats for the last few Tests is that spinners bowl a lot of the overs as well, so having someone like Darcie come in for short spells is probably how she’ll be used. Meg will make those decisions on the field but think our quicks will certainly be used a lot more for impact than grunt work.”

Ellyse Perry is also shaping as an important figure in the attack having had another off-season to work on her form after struggling to find her best rhythm in last summer’s comeback from the serious hamstring injury suffered at the T20 World Cup.

“[Bowling coach] Ben Sawyer is really happy with where she’s at, thinks at the crease he can’t remember her being as strong as she has been,” Mott said. “It’s something we’ve spoken about, that without Schutt and Jonassen she’ll play a pivotal role in leading our attack with some young bowlers around her.”

Mott also confirmed that Alyssa Healy and Rachael Haynes are the likely opening pair for the Test, although Healy’s workload in the field would be monitored.

Andrew McGlashan is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo

Source: ESPN Crickinfo

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