James Pattinson asked selectors not to consider him for India Tour

Melbourne [Australia], Mar. 14 (ANI): Australian pacer James Pattinson has revealed that he had asked the national selectors not to consider him for the ongoing four-match Test series against India. The reason for him doing so was the fear that a premature return to Test cricket could result in a recurrence of the injuries that have plagued his career. The 26-year-old pacer, who has broken down while playing for Australia no fewer than four times since his debut in 2011, said he had asked the selectors to let him play a sequence of Sheffield Shield matches before considering his Test return. "I had a chat with the selectors before this series, saying that I just wanted to really get through this Shield season," cricket.com.au quoted Pattinson as saying. "I know the last two times I've done something like this, flown over to a series where it's in the balance and there's the potential of me bowling close to 40, 50 overs, which I have - in South Africa in 2014 I did it, and then last year I did the same thing in New Zealand, going in with not a lot of cricket, and it hasn't really turned out very well for me." "We didn't want to make that same mistake again, because at 26, if I went over there and did my back again or something, it would be not an ideal thing for the third time," he added. The right-arm pacer insisted that it was one thing that he didn't want to do, adding that the selectors and physios weren't too keen either on trying to rush him. "They've given me the best possible chance of getting back and playing three, four, five Shield games and getting confidence in my body this way," Pattinson said. The right-arm pacer has so far played 17 Tests in which he has taken 70 wickets at 26.15. (ANI)