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Ahead of the upcoming series against Scotland and England, Australian fast-bowler Nathan Ellis expressed his ambition to establish himself as a pivotal figure in the bowling lineup.
Australia’s schedule includes three T20Is against Scotland followed by three T20Is and five ODIs against England. Pat Cummins has been rested for the entire tour as part of workload management, while Mitchell Starc will sit out the T20Is. Consequently, Ellis is primed to assume a crucial role in Australia’s bowling strategy.
With both Cummins and Starc absent, Ellis aims to seize this opportunity to secure a regular place in Australia’s white-ball bowling unit. He emphasized his intention not to replace any specific bowler but rather to complement the established trio of Starc, Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood, thereby aspiring to evolve them into a formidable quartet.
“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 told cricket.com.au.
“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 to the big four.”
Nathan Ellis reflected on his limited opportunities during the T20 World Cup.
Reflecting on his limited opportunities during the recent T20 World Cup, Nathan Ellis acknowledged his sparse game time. Out of Australia’s seven matches in the tournament, he featured in just three—against Oman, Namibia, and Scotland—missing out on the clash against England in the group stage.
During the Super 12 stage, Ellis was sidelined for all three matches as Australia endured two defeats and missed out on a semifinal berth. Looking back on his T20 World Cup campaign, Ellis recognized his position in the team hierarchy but emphasized the need to shift his mindset to secure a more consistent place in the starting lineup.
“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,” he said.
“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,” added Ellis.
The T20I series between Australia and Scotland is set to kick off on September 4, while the series against England will commence on September 11.
