Bird rubbishes tired talk

Cape Town - Australia fast bowler Jackson Bird has rubbished suggestions that their pace attack was feeling the effects of back to back Test series.

The addition of Western Australia allrounder Hilton Cartwright to the Australian squad for the second Test against Pakistan suggested the team felt a little light on bowling reserves and sparked rumours that the quicks were tired after Pakistan ran them close at the Gabba in an epic chase.

With Nic Maddinson struggling for form Cartwright's inclusion in the squad might lead Australia to hand out yet another Test cap in the pursuit of a balanced XI.

Australia can ill afford to lose either of it's frontline quicks Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood with a tour to India looming on the horizon and next year's Ashes also in mind.

However Bird insists there are no issues with the workload of the pace attack.

Bird told cricket.com.au: "It probably would take a bit of the workload off us if we did have Hilton as a fifth bowling option, but I think us three quicks and Nathan Lyon have been doing a good job.

"We've won the last two Test matches and I'm not sure why they'd change that.

"But that's completely up to the selectors."

When asked if the attack could stand up to bowling for long periods of time Bird responded: "Absolutely (we can).

"Mitch and Josh have been doing this for a while now and I've been bowling consistently in Shield cricket for a while.

"I think I've been averaging 45 overs a game or so in the last 12 months so it's no real difference for me. Because I'm the third seamer, I probably don't bowl as much as the other two do.

"I fully expect us all to get through if we have the same workload.

"It's our job to bowl a lot of overs and do the hard work. It's what we're paid to do as professional cricketers and especially as fast bowlers.

"That's part of the game as well, how well you can back up as a fast bowler. That's why we do all the hard work with fitness and weights.

"I think things can sometimes get blown out of proportion a little bit. It's part and parcel of being a fast bowler."