Limited-overs matches ‘killing prospective Test bowlers’, says James Pattinson

Sydney: Australian fast bowler James Pattinson has said that limited-overs matches are damaging prospective Test bowlers and is acting as a ‘catalyst’ for injuries.

The Victorian paceman, who rounded off his first Test preparations with an eye-catching 4-42 Sheffield Shield haul against Western Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, said the demand for bowling variation in shorter games was triggering more bad habits and injuries among players. “I tend to get sorer when I do play one-day cricket because you`re trying different balls, you`re coming wide of the crease, you`re trying to bowl slower balls. And your action changes when you do that,” a website quoted Pattinson, as saying. "You go out there and bowl four overs (in short games) at extreme pace and you`re trying all those things, it does have an impact on the body when it`s not used to doing that sort of stuff,” he added. Pattinson, 22, who has had a string of injuries in his young career, empathised with fellow quick Pat Cummins who has been ruled out for the summer with a stress fracture of his back. "It`s shocking news. Everyone forgets how young he actually is. He`s 19, he`s playing Test cricket, he`s bowling 150 (km/h). I was in the same position as him at 19, I had a couple of stress fractures," Pattinson said. ANI