‘Australia haven't won an Ashes series’ - Glenn McGrath backs veteran pace trio but expects transition ahead

Former Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath believes the prospect of winning an Ashes series outright in England next year could provide strong motivation for Australia's veteran pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood to continue at the highest level.

However, McGrath also acknowledged that Australia's celebrated fast-bowling unit is likely approaching a period of transition.

"There's a few [new fast bowlers] coming through at the moment. The Pakistan tours before and after the World T20 didn't go to plan. But I think there's opportunity for quite a few young guys at the moment. Guys like Spencer Johnson have some real pace, but whether they've had enough opportunity? I know [Nathan] Ellis has been for a while and [Xavier] Bartlett, they are the next level [in white-ball cricket],” said McGrath as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

"Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins are all in their mid-to-late thirties, aren't they? You wonder how long they can go. I look at it from an Australian perspective in Test cricket. The Ashes is coming up next year in England and Australia have not won an Ashes in England outright since 2001. Hopefully, there's incentive for the boys to keep going, but there's going to be that turnover. You've also got Will Sutherland, Jack Edwards and Brendan Doggett. Plenty of young guys there, but we'll wait and see if someone really puts their hands up,” he added.

McGrath also emphasised the importance of strong performances in the domestic Sheffield Shield as preparation for the demands of Test cricket. One bowler who has attracted attention is Nathan McAndrew, who is regarded as a promising option to strengthen Australia's pace reserves. Earlier this year, Ryan Harris argued that McAndrew had done enough in domestic cricket to warrant consideration for Test selection.

"A lot of it comes back to Shield cricket, I think. I don't know their exact stats in Shield cricket, but state cricket in Australia is quite competitive. South Australia have won back-to-back and a couple of their guys have done well. There's going to be opportunities out there and we'll see once they get there,” said McGrath.

Peake could emerge as peak candidate for BGT: McGrath

Looking further ahead, McGrath has been impressed by the early promise shown by Ollie Peake. He suggested that Peake's game appears adaptable enough to thrive both at home and overseas, a quality highly valued in prospective Test cricketers. With an eye on the future, McGrath even indicated that Peake could emerge as a candidate for Australia's squad for the next Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India.

"It's a great opportunity for him [to be exposed to Bangladesh conditions]. He's only a young guy. He was also here with the Aussie team at MRF. He's been a talent identified for a while. This will be the true test to see how the handles [pressure] - but again he's huge potential. He's played well at the Big Bash and he's also played well at state level. He's got that feel, but playing for your country it's a little different,” said McGrath.

"The Australian selectors will be looking at him for things like that [Border-Gavaskar Trophy]. The Australian team itself is getting older. The [current] average age of the team is probably as old as the team I played in. So, there's going to be opportunities coming in the next little while. We'll wait and see, but I think he's at the top of the list [for the Australia selectors]. If he gets the opportunity and plays well, I think he's got all the attributes,” he added.