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Melbourne [Australia], October 21 (ANI): Former Australian captain Tim Paine floated the name of former Tasmanian teammate and right-arm pacer Riley Meredith to boost Australia’s depleting bowling stocks ahead of the home Ashes series starting from November 21 onwards.

As the first ball of Ashes at home at Perth awaits Australia, they face a serious trouble with their skipper Pat Cummins likely to miss the first Test due to back stress issues. Since the tour to the Windies, the Australian skipper has not bowled in nets, putting himself in serious doubt. Also, all-rounders Cameron Green (back surgery) and Beau Webster (ankle issues) are battling their own concerns and will have to race against time to present themselves as viable pace options at home.

Elsewhere, coming to fringe names, West Aussie quick Lance Morris will miss the whole summer due to back surgery, while the same back issues have caught up with left-armed pacer Spencer Johnson. South Australian pacer Brednan Doggett, who had to withdraw from tour to West Indies due to hip injury, had to miss out on two opening rounds of Sheffield Shield due to hamstring issues. Seamer Sean Abbott, a name seen in and out of the Australian squad, is also undergoing a mandatory 12-day stand-down period after being substituted out of last week’s red-ball contest against Victoria with a split webbing in his hand.

Injuries troubles have not stopped for Jhye Richardson either, who has not played this season having undergone shoulder surgery in January, while white-ball specialist Ben Dwarshuis is facing a calf-strain which has kept him away from ongoing ODIs against India.

Two more speedsters, Victoria’s Fergus O’Neill and Queensland’s Michael Neser have had an impressive start to their Sheffield Shield campaigns and they could play Tests at some stage during the summer. While Fergus had an impressive six-wicket outing (including a five-wicket haul) against New South Wales, Nesser has taken 11 wickets in two Shield Games with two four-wicket hauls to his name and like Fergus, is a capable batter.

Speaking on SEN on Tuesday, Paine wondered why Meredith’s name was not up for the Ashes conversations, having played an ODI and six T20Is for the Aussies and picking all his nine wickets in the latter since his debut in 2021.

Meredith secured six wickets during his side’s win over Western Australia at Hobart in a thriller by three runs and had a fine 23 scalp season in Shield at an average of 25.08. He also delivered some fine outings in white-ball cricket with a fine The Hundred campaign for the Welsh Fire in the UK, finishing as the second-leading wicket-taker with 12 scalps averaging 13.58.

‘With the bowling injuries we do have, I have not heard Riley Meredith’s name mentioned a hell of a lot,’ Paine said as quoted by Fox Cricket to SEN.

‘I saw during the week he bowled 40-odd overs, took six wickets and bowled quickly in those 40 overs. If you are looking for someone with air speed late in the Ashes to make an impact, I would not be ruling out Meredith either,’ he said.

‘It sounds like his body is up and going. It has been a long time since he bowled 40 overs in a Shield game, so clearly he is ready to go. He was bowling as quickly at the end as he was on day two; that is a great sign for where he is at,’ the former Australian captain said.

‘It has been spoken about a lot this Ashes about how important air speed is going to be, and Meredith is one of the guys around the country who can generate high 140s and do it for a long period,’ he concluded.

In 36 first-class matches since his debut in 2017, Meredith has taken 111 wickets at an average of 31.59, with best figures of 5/96 and two five-wicket hauls to his name. (ANI)