Australia’s white-ball rebuild has taken on a sharper edge after Andrew McDonald made clear that raw pace is becoming a selection priority before the 2027 Cricket World Cup.
Cricket Australia reported on Tuesday that McDonald wants more “air speed” through the middle overs, with Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood still central to the ideal plan but increasingly difficult to shield from a punishing red-ball calendar.
McDonald Turns Focus To Strike Speed
The concern is not cosmetic. Since the 2023 World Cup, Australia’s pace strike-rate between overs 11 and 40 has sat at 50.48, the weakest return among the 12 Full Member nations, leaving Adam Zampa to carry too much wicket-taking responsibility through the middle phase.
That is why Riley Meredith, Billy Stanlake, Spencer Johnson, Xavier Bartlett and Nathan Ellis now matter beyond bilateral rotation. Australia’s selectors are trying to find out who can change tempo when surfaces flatten and the first-choice attack is unavailable.
McDonald’s timeline is tight. Australia have ODIs in Zimbabwe and South Africa in September, then three at home against England in November. Those nine 50-over games are among the most important auditions left before the World Cup in southern Africa.
It also gives Mitchell Marsh’s leadership group a clear brief: protect the champion quicks, but build a second wave with enough pace to win games without them.
Source: Cricket Australia. More international coverage is available via Read Cricket’s international cricket hub.
