Nathan Ellis has never been under any illusions as to where he sits in the pecking order among his fast bowling idols – Australia’s ‘big three’ of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc.
But lately he’s been contemplating if that’s a mentality he needs to change as he targets becoming a mainstay of Australia’s white-ball attacks.
The 29-year-old impressed in his three T20 World Cup appearances last month with a wicket in every match, including two against Oman, finishing the tournament with an economy rate of 6.72 despite bowling more than a third of his overs at the death.
It wasn’t enough to see him nail down a permanent role however, with Ellis the one left out when selectors opted for three quicks in crunch clashes against England, Bangladesh and India when Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood were all fit and available.
While Ellis says it was an honour to “rub shoulders” with the big three at his first World Cup (as part of the main 15-player group) where he “nitpicked” as much as he could to add to his own game, he’s also determined to break into that pace attack full-time.
His first chance to stake a claim for a more permanent role will come in September with Cummins to miss Australia’s entire white-ball tour of the UK a part of the Test and ODI skipper’s load management strategy. And with Starc also absent for the T20 leg, Ellis will be afforded extra responsibility leading the attack alongside Josh Hazlewood.
“It’s a tricky one for me because these are guys that I’ve looked up to for a long time coming through as a kid,” Ellis said in Hobart last week prior to being named in both the T20 and ODI squads on Monday.
“Now I’m at the point where I want to compete and be a part of that group – they’re the big three, hopefully I can make it the big four.
“It’s an honour to play alongside those guys and I just try and take what I can from all of their preparations and how they go about it.
“They’ve been so good for so long, so I went into the World Cup under no illusions as to where I stood in the pecking order.
“Maybe that’s a mentality I should try and change but they’ve been such great servants for our country and with that comes a lot of credits … I just love being part of that group and rubbing shoulders with the big boys.”
Having emerged from a crowded field of contenders to earn the fourth fast bowling spot in Australia’s T20 World Cup squad, Ellis is one of several rising Aussie quicks that national men’s selection chair George Bailey is excited to see more of in the future, with newer faces Spencer Johnson and Xavier Bartlett also named in the 14-man group for six T20 internationals against Scotland and England in September.
“There’s some world-class players that have been there and will continue to be there, but it’s also a great opportunity to start to explore some other guys,” Bailey said.
“This is a really important series … (for) a number of guys who have been on tours, played one or two games but haven’t had a great deal of opportunity yet.
“The fast bowlers, we’ve been impressed by what they’ve shown in a short space of time.”
West Australian tearaway Lance Morris wasn’t considered for the tour as he continues his recovery from a back injury, but Bailey said both he and state teammate Jhye Richardson would be back in the frame come the home summer.
Richardson, who played one match for Delhi Capitals in this year’s IPL, is “fit and firing” again, further adding to the competition for spots behind the big three. His 2023-24 season was cut short by a side strain during the Big Bash that ruled him out of February’s ODI series against the West Indies, while Morris also suffered a side strain in the third game of that series.
“(A successful season) for both of them is getting through the season fit and then hopefully maximising the amount of cricket that they play,” Bailey said.
“Some of that will be domestic, hopefully there will be some international and Australia A opportunities for them and then I think we set them up for success in the long term.
“We’ve got a pretty exciting bunch (of fast bowlers) we haven’t had the opportunity to get a lot of games into across the formats predominantly because we’ve had a highly successful and robust senior group of fast bowlers.”
Ellis is certainly one who has had to bide his time owing to the big three’s durability and, having finally broken through as one of their peers for the World Cup, he’s now looking to add as much as he can into his own game from the experience, particularly around their training and preparation, to ensure his hat remains “in the ring”.
“They’re all ultimate professionals,” Ellis said. “You have to be if you’re playing as much cricket as they are to stay fit 365 days of the year, it’s no easy feat.
“The different preparations is something I’ll be taking from them and using for myself moving forward.
“I’ve sort of been drip fed opportunities over the last few years – the World Cup that’s just gone was something I had earmarked for quite a long time.
“So, to have made it there, I was really happy … (and) pumped to get a chance in a couple of games.
“Now, you just never want to get too far ahead of yourself, and I just want to put my hat in the ring to be selected in every series moving forward.
“I love playing for Australia and it’s something that I don’t take for granted and I never will, so I’m hoping that I’ll become a bit of a mainstay but to do that, I’ve got to play some good cricket.”
Qantas Tour of the UK 2024
Australia T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa
September 4: First T20 v Scotland, The Grange, Edinburgh, time TBC
September 6: Second T20 v Scotland, The Grange, Edinburgh, time TBC
September 7: Third T20 v Scotland, The Grange, Edinburgh, time TBC
September 11: First T20 v England, Rose Bowl, Southampton, 3.30am Sept 12 AEST
September 13: Second T20 v England, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, 3.30am Sept 14 AEST
September 15: Third T20 v England, Old Trafford Manchester, 11.30pm AEST
Australia ODI squad: Mitch Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa
September 19: First ODI v England, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 10pm AEST
September 21: Second ODI v England, Headingley, Leeds, 10pm AEST
September 24: Third ODI v England, Riverside, Chester-le-Street, 10pm AEST
September 27: Fourth ODI v England, Lord’s, London, 10pm AEST
September 29: Fifth ODI v England, County Ground, Bristol, 8pm AEST