Having seen his recent Sheffield Shield form up close and personal, Western Australian quick Andrew Tye sees fellow sandgroper Jhye Richardson as a certainty to gain a place in the Australian XI for the first Ashes Test.
Richardson is currently within Justin Langer's camp ahead of the series opener at the Gabba, but Tye believes the 25-year-old's 23 poles from four domestic starts this season will see him elevated.
โI said last week that Jhye's name is already on the team sheet,โ Tye said on SEN radio waves.
โWith the way that he's been bowling and his form coming in โฆ it's going to be really stiff to leave him out.
โI reckon he's in.โ
Tye is not the only name touting Richardson's wares, with the ever loquacious Shane Warne holding a believe that Mitchell Starc must make way for the Western Australian.
โHe (Starc) needs to find a bit of rhythm and some form,โ Warne said.
โHe had a really poor World Cup. He's just not bowling well enough.
โIt's too important at the Gabba. I'm all for Jhye Richardson (replacing Starc).โ
While Warne has long been a marked critic of the New South Welshman, Starc's most recent summer with the red ball was decidedly under par.
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Should Richardson earn a chance to take his baggy green cap out of storage in the River City next week, it will act as his first test appearance since taking on the Sri Lankans in Canberra during the summer of 2018/19.
Richardson has played two Tests for the Australians and currently holds best figures of 3/26 which were collected against the same opponent in Brisbane.
Langer's final XI is set to be announced immediately after the toss prior to the first delivery of the series on Wednesday, December 8.