Australian cricket legend Steve Waugh says pace bowling attack is best of all time

AUSTRALIAN cricket legend Steve Waugh believes Australia’s four best fast bowlers are as talented as any quartet in the history of the game.

The ringing endorsement carries even more weight given Waugh’s decade-long battle against a fearsome West Indian artillery that included Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner and Ian Bishop.

And although injuries have halted all of Australia’s current frontline quicks early in their careers, the 168-Test veteran is adamant it’s just a matter of time until they take the cricket world by storm.

“I can’t wait for all of the quicks to get together who are injured now,” Waugh toldfoxsports.com.au at St Kilda Football Club’s Business and Sport Luncheon.

“James Pattinson, Pat Cummins, Mitch Starc and Josh Hazlewood as a quartet would be as good, if not better, than any quick bowling quartet in the history of the game.”

Pattinson, 26, has played just 17 Tests since debuting in late 2011. Cummins took seven wickets on Test debut as an 18-year-old five years ago but has not worn the baggy green since.

Starc is the most durable of the four having notched 25 Tests and spearheaded Australia’s ODI World Cup triumph last year, although he only recently returned from six months out of the game, while Hazlewood was earning comparisons with Glenn McGrath long before he made his Test debut in 2014.

The four have never played together and it would take a unique set of circumstances and a brave selector to drop Nathan Lyon.

In addition to this, Australia has shown its willingness to play a pace-bowling all-rounder at No. 6 with Mitch Marsh and Moises Henriques both locked in tour Sri Lanka next month.

They haven’t come together as a unit yet but when that happens I think Australian will be pretty much unbeatable,” Waugh said.

“We’ll go to the next level.”

Waugh, 51, was also complimentary of captain and fellow New South Welshman Steve Smith and Australia’s top order.

Smith is Australia’s first Test skipper since Graham Yallop that Waugh has not played alongside at first-class level.

“Steve Smith is a great leader and people want to play for him, which is absolutely crucial as a captain,” he said.

“Dave Warner is an amazing cricketer and Usman Khawaja is coming through nicely.

“It’s an exciting time and we have some really good young players.”