James Pattinson, Australian pacer has set his focus on getting ready ahead of the Ashes 2021-22, which will be his 3rd Ashes series while acknowledging that he won’t make it to the Australian T20I squad any time soon.
James Pattinson has conceded that a spot in the Australian squad for the upcoming T20I World Cup 2021, in India during the October-November window, is long odds given that he hasn’t been a part of the limited-overs side in several years. In fact, the last time James Pattinson appeared in a T20I for Australia was way back in 2012 and he played his last ODI in 2015.
James Pattinson Is Feeling Confident To Perform Well In The Ashes At 30 Years Age
The injury-hit James Pattinson, who last donned the Australian whites in January last year, has his eyes set and is ready for his third Ashes series, scheduled to be played at home at the end of the year. James Pattinson, who will be leading the Victoria side this week in the Sheffield Shield, is feeling confident at the age of 30 even though injuries have only allowed him to play 21 Test so far in almost 10 years since his debut.
“In terms of my body it probably feels the best that it has and in terms of my back – it’s come really good. There’s plenty of time, I’m only 30 now. There’s obviously the Ashes next year, which is probably the next challenge,” Pattinson said.
“I’d love to play all formats but I haven’t played (enough) T20 cricket. I’ll be focusing more on pre-season and putting all my eggs in trying to get ready for the Ashes.”
James Pattinson, who missed out on featuring in the home series against India recently, has spoken about the frustrations of the bio bubble life.
“You’re sitting in a hub and you’re 12th or 13th man for Australia – which is fantastic – but … you’re missing out on playing cricket. You’re bowling in the nets and at times it can be frustrating as a 30-year-old when you’ve done a lot of that already,” Pattinson added.
The last time James Pattinson was wearing whites at the MCG, the firebrand paceman declared he was a year away from recapturing his best bowling form. It shaped as an ominous warning given he had just taken six wickets in Australia’s 2019 Boxing Day Test win over New Zealand, including skipper Kane Williamson in both innings.
James Pattinson Last Played Test Against The Kiwis In January 2020 And Skipped IPL 2021 To Be With His Family
Some 15 months on, it is cold comfort that Victoria coach Chris Rogers attests that James Pattinson is now bowling better than ever, given he was confined to the nets for this summer’s first two Tests against India before a fluke injury ruled him out of contention for the last two games. But with the tour to South Africa cancelled and no Test cricket on the horizon until next summer, the right-arm pacer once again has an eye on the future.
Conceding that his hopes of a T20 World Cup berth have been curtailed by his decision to skip the Indian Premier League 2021 for being with his family, James Pattinson says a return to the Baggy Green for next summer’s Ashes is now his major long-term goal. The pacer last played a Test match in January 2020 against New Zealand and he was benched for the entire series against India as Australia played all 4 Tests with their three first-choice pacers in Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc, with Camron Green as the all-rounder.