Australia may fall back on quicks thrashed in last Ashes

Port of Spain (Trinidad), April 21 (IANS) Australia may again fall-back to the quicks, who were thrashed during the Ashes, as they attempt to reclaim the urn from Andrew Strauss and Co. despite the emergence of young fast bowlers, Pat Cummins, James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc.

Teenager Cummins, who stunned the cricket world with his man of the match display on debut in South Africa last year, along with Pattinson, who starred with 25 wickets from his four Tests against New Zealand and India, have been Australia's brightest young talent.

Starc, another promising young fast bowler, came into prominence in the third Test in Perth when he took four wickets against India.

Cummins though has suffered a string of injuries and has still played just one Test. Pattinson too is struggling to keep himself fit and Starc hasn't yet established himself as a regular at international level.

It means that Ben Hilfenhaus, Peter Siddle and Ryan Harris, three parts of the attack who spent most of the last Ashes series being flogged by England's top order, shape as Michael Clarke's most reliable options.

That trio were chosen ahead of Starc and Pattinson for the first Test in the West Indies and Siddle failed a fitness test for the second Test and Harris made way for a second spinner to play on the spin-friendly Queens Park pitch here. Pattinson was included but he could not bowl in the second innings because of back spasms.