Leather on willow: In the Harare nets with Ollie Peake
Nathan Ellis is desperate to book a ticket to next year’s ODI World Cup and Australia’s death-overs king is hopeful his new-ball chops can assure him of a berth even with the ‘Big Three’ quicks back in the 50-over frame.
Ellis was joking when he suggested that group will become the ‘Big Four’ when Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc joins Josh Hazlewood for three ODIs in South Africa later this month. But the 31-year-old has made a solid case to be considered a white-ball peer to that star trio in his own right – just as Scott Boland has in Tests.
On Australia’s tours of Pakistan and Bangladesh earlier this year, Ellis thrived with 13 victims at under 20 from eight matches. The right-armer was already one of T20 cricket’s best closers, but it was his new-ball potency that stood out in the absence of all three of Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood.
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Four of his 10 ODI wickets on that tour came inside the first 10 overs as his late-shaping out-swinger proved as threatening with the new ball as his trademark back-of-the-hand slower delivery is with the old one.
“I came out of that very happy,” Ellis told cricket.com.au in Harare ahead two days out from first of three ODIs against Zimbabwe. “That tour was an important one for me, taking the new ball and taking on a bit more responsibility within the team.
“I was nervous because I hadn’t taken the new ball in a long time. I was always a new-ball bowler coming through (at grade and domestic levels) – but there’s a lot of good new-ball bowlers around the country, so my role changed to a middle over to death sort of bowler.
“To come out of that, having done okay on a personal level, it’s great. But as I’ve said 1000 times, I’m just trying to keep my name on the team sheet and show that I can do any role that they need from me.”
Coach Andrew McDonald has openly lamented the restrictive nature of World Cup squad sizes, with teams permitted only 15 players for next year’s ODI tournament in southern Africa.
But the rules stand to benefit adaptable players like Ellis. His chances of taking the new ball ahead of Starc or Hazlewood are slim, yet he has proved he could fill in admirably during a busy tournament while playing alongside those two and Cummins in a more defensive role at other times.
If the all-format triumvirate are fit for Australia’s title defence last year, there would likely be room for only one or two more specialist seamers. Xavier Bartlett, Spencer Johnson and Billy Stanlake, all in the 17-man group for the upcoming six bilateral ODIs, shape as the main competition.
Nathan Ellis goes through his paces during a training session in Harare // cricket.com.au-Tama Stockley
As an out-and-out new-ball bowler, Bartlett has emerged as the standout from that group having taken 12 wickets at 10.83 inside the first 10 overs of an innings since the last World Cup. Less-experienced quicks in Johnson and Stanlake will hope to prove their wicket-taking potency over the coming fortnight.
Sean Abbott was Australia’s reserve quick at the 2023 World Cup; Ellis missed selection due to a groin injury and might well have been in the 15-man squad had he been fit.
“I’m very well aware of the bowling crop that we have at full strength – it’s bloody good,” said Ellis.
“I just really want to be there (at the 2027 World Cup). I missed the India one (in 2023) through injury, (and I) watched on very jealous and feeling sad and sorry for myself. So a plane ticket in that 15 is really big to me and it’ll be something I’m striving towards.
“New ball, old ball, death – I’ll do it. I’ll do anything to get on that plane.”
Variations galore! Every Nathan Ellis wicket of BBL|15
Ellis has played extensively alongside Hazlewood in the T20I arena and, to a lesser extent, in ODIs (six games together). He has played three ODIs alongside Starc, two of them when Hazlewood played too.
But ODIs with Cummins? None. “A little bit strange,” Ellis admitted of having not played any of his 22 ODIs alongside the format’s captain. He is enthusiastic at the prospect of correcting that.
“The team grows another leg when you’ve got the likes of those players, a once in a generation group of bowlers, coming back into the squad,” he said. “The big boys are raring and ready to go.”
Qantas tour of Zimbabwe 2026
First ODI: September 15, Harare Sports Club, 5:30pm AEST (9:30am local)
Second ODI: September 18, Harare Sports Club, 5:30pm AEST (9:30am local)
Third ODI: September 20, Harare Sports Club, 5:30pm AEST (9:30am local)
Zimbabwe squad: Sikandar Raza (c), Ben Curran, Blessing Muzarabani, Brad Evans, Brendan Taylor, Brian Bennett, Craig Ervine, Ernest Masuku, Graeme Cremer, Innocent Kaia, Newman Nyamhuri, Ryan Burl, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Wessly Madhevere
Australia squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Oliver Peake, Matthew Renshaw, Billy Stanlake, Adam Zampa
Qantas tour of South Africa 2026
All matches to be broadcast exclusively in Australia on Kayo and Fox Cricket
First ODI: September 24, Kingsmead Stadium, Durban, 6pm AEST (10am local)
Second ODI: September 27, Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, 6pm AEST (10am local)
Third ODI: September 30, JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom, 9:30pm AEST (D/N, 1:30pm local)
South Africa ODI squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Ottneil Baartman, Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Bjorn Fortuin, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs
Australia ODI squad: Mitchell Marsh, Pat Cummins, Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Oliver Peake, Matthew Renshaw, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa
Warm-up match: October 3-4, JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom, 6pm AEST (10am local)
First Test: October 9-13, Kingsmead Stadium, Durban, 6:30pm AEDT (9:30am local)
Second Test: October 18-22, St George’s Park, Gqeberha, 7pm AEDT (10am local)
Third Test: October 27-31, Newlands, Cape Town, 7:30pm AEDT (10:30am local)
Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster