‘Champing at the bit to get out there’ – Bartlett fit and raring to grab his opportunity

The return of Xavier Bartlett will be a welcome sight for the national hierarchy hoping to shore up fast bowling depth with a gruelling Border-Gavaskar Trophy set to test the fitness of Australia’s frontline quicks.

Bartlett has not been sighted in domestic cricket so far this season after a side strain cut short his white-ball tour of the UK in September. He has recently returned to local cricket in Brisbane and is set to play in the T20I series opener between a shorthanded Australia – missing their Test players – and Pakistan at the Gabba on Thursday.

Showcasing immaculate upright seam positioning, enabling him to conjure menacing late swing with the new ball, Bartlett was the leading wicket-taker in last season’s BBL and a key in Brisbane Heat’s stunning title triumph.

He subsequently claimed four-wicket hauls in his first two ODIs against West Indies and has taken 6 wickets from four T20Is at an average of 17.66.

Bartlett has been on the hierarchy’s radar as they strive to build depth behind the big three quicks of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, who have been resilient over the years but face the tough challenge of five Tests against India within seven weeks.

There have been fitness issues with Australia’s fringe quicks. Michael Neser suffered a hamstring injury in the recent Australia A-India A match at the MCG, while WA speedsters Lance Morris and Jhye Richardson have been working their way back through white-ball cricket. Scott Boland is Australia’s reserve quick for the first Test in Perth starting on November 22.

“Those main three [Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood] have been amazing for so long, unbelievable,” Bartlett told reporters in Brisbane. “Going forward there will be opportunities. Personally, the goal is always to try and play Test cricket for Australia.

“There’s so much cricket and every time you get a chance to play for Australia it’s a childhood dream. Whether it’s [due to] people who are unavailable or available you just have to try to take your opportunity. And this is a great opportunity.

“Everything is good [with my fitness]… champing at the bit to get out there.”

Bartlett, 25, will be part of a second-string Australia team aiming to salvage some pride after their surprise ODI series defeat to Pakistan, which included successive thrashings in Adelaide and Perth.

Australia’s batters had no answer for Pakistan’s four-pronged pace attack who relished favourable fast and bouncy conditions throughout the series. “They have been amazing, the last two games they only used four bowlers,” Bartlett said.

“The 140 [kph] from both ends, been exciting to watch. They bowled some really great lengths and were really attacking. Hopefully we can emulate that. We’ve spoken about just trying to take wickets and try to make early inroads.”

Bartlett is set to share the new ball with left-arm quick Spencer Johnson in a return in tandem for the pair who so often ignited Heat during their title run. Much like at Optus Stadium, the Gabba surface tends to be fast and bouncy but runs can flow quickly there in white-ball cricket.

There has been stormy weather in Brisbane this week with showers forecast on Thursday. “It’s a really good cricket wicket, so it should make for entertaining cricket,” Bartlett said.

While some eye-catching performances across the three-match T20I series could see Bartlett move up the pecking order of fringe Test bowlers, his Heat teammate Nathan McSweeney will make his debut in the first Test after being named as Usman Khawaja’s opening partner.

“To see his journey from when we were about 11 or 12 [years of age] to where he is now, making his Test debut, it’s unbelievable – I’m absolutely stoked for him,” Bartlett said of McSweeney, who is from Brisbane but captains South Australia in the Sheffield Shield.

“He’s worked so hard. I can’t wait to see him go out there and hopefully go well for Australia.”