Held back by injuries since his Test debut in 2019, Richardson has suffered four separate hamstring setbacks since his most recent limited-overs international in June 2022.
He was initially named to return to Australia’s white-ball squad last summer, before being ruled out when he suffered his latest hamstring injury in the BBL.
In the months since, Richardson has been able to get a solid block of net bowling in while only playing one game in the IPL, before pre-season stints in Perth and Brisbane.
“I’m trying to avoid problem areas and build that resilience that I haven’t had in the past couple of years,” Richardson told AAP. “I’ve played two games [in Darwin]the body has been good. It’s obviously a different intensity playing competitive cricket again.”
Richardson had tinkered with his run up before his most recent hamstring injury, only reaching top speed closer to the crease in a bid to make it more efficient. But he has since returned to his more traditional style, which sees him sprinting in at speeds of close to 22.5kph from earlier in his run up.
“We wanted to explore what that looked like, with the goal of getting back to red-ball cricket,” Richardson said. “But I am back to my old run up now, understanding that what I had done previously for 10 years had probably somewhat worked.
“I probably just felt a bit rushed. I didn’t feel as balanced. Everyone speaks about rhythm and feeling balanced and strong at the crease. And the ultimate goal is to perform, right? I have put a lot of work into my hamstring, so everyone is comfortable with the fact I can go back to what has worked previously.”
Change is also coming in the Test team, with all three frontline quicks over the age of 30 and back-up paceman Scott Boland 35. Richardson appears the most credentialed man to one day lead the attack, with 11 wickets at 22.09 in his three Tests to date.
“I think [it is important to be fit then]but we are looking pretty far into the future there,” he said. “Taking it one step at a time, getting the body right and making sure everything is right on my end, and not worrying about what is happening externally.
“We obviously know there will be a transition point at some stage. When that happens, I am not too sure. But ultimately being fit at any time is my goal. Regardless of when the transition happens. And to be able to play Test cricket regardless of who is in the team.”
