Australia batsman David Hussey is confident youngsters Pat Cummins and James Pattinson can develop into the pace spearheads the national team so desperately craves.
Australia has traditionally been well stocked in the fast bowling department and able to call upon giants of the game such as Dennis Lillee and Glenn McGrath.
Brett Lee briefly led the attack following McGrath's retirement in 2007, but the likes of Peter Siddle and Mitchell Johnson have not been quite able to fill the position for any decent length of time.
Hussey described facing Australia's six-strong pace division in the nets at Leicester this week as a "necessary evil" and that teenager Cummins and 22-year-old team-mate Pattinson have impressed.
"I think both of them could be once in a generation players," he said.
"I think they could carry Australia's attack for the next 10-12 years."
Hussey says the aggression of Cummins and Pattinson is one of their key attributes.
"They both move the ball at pace ... and they are aggressive," he said.
"They are not like a young player these days, they are in your face.
"I really like that about them. It is a great quality to have."
Australia opens its 50-over tour of the United Kingdom with Thursday's match against Leicestershire at Grace Road followed by this weekend's one-day international against Ireland in Belfast.
The tourists will squeeze in another warm-up match in Essex before the five-match one-day series against England starts on June 29 at Lord's.
"We are the number-one ranked ODI team in the world and we cherish that ranking," Hussey said.
"We don't want to let it go but England play particularly well on their home soil.
"It is up to us to adjust as quickly as possible. It is going to be a very close series."
AAP
Tags: cricket, sport, united-kingdom, england First posted June 20, 2012 10:00:32
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