Australia won't rest pace duo against Black Caps

Mitchell Starc of Australia in action against New Zealand during the World Cup final. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Australia has scrapped its resting strategy for the one-day series against New Zealand, with spearheads Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood set to bowl right through the summer.

Coach Darren Lehmann says Australia has learnt its lesson from the humiliation dished out to them when they gambled on a second string ODI attack in South Africa last month.

Cricket Australia's ridiculously crammed schedule has put selectors in a precarious position where they must balance the interests of a rebuilding Test side with the desires of the bean counters, who have pushed for this irrelevant Black Caps 50-over series to take place in early December.

Before the Hobart Test, Australia's band of sports scientists feared Hazlewood and Starc were in the danger zone for breaking down - and despite a comparatively easy hitout in Adelaide, there are still three Tests to go and the dynamic duo are arguably Lehmann's two most indispensable assets.

Lehmann feels he is "damned if he does, damned if he doesn't" when it comes to resting key bowlers in one-day matches but has made the call that Starc and Hazlewood are fresh enough to power on.

"They'll play. We get in trouble if we don't play them," he said.

"There's so much cricket all year around. Do you learn your lesson along the way? You do. But as long as they're fresh and going OK there's no problem playing them.

"We gave them a break didn't we, so they should get through the summer - but we got in trouble for that as well, so you're damned if you do, damned if you don't.

"... The three one-dayers should be fine and then it's the day-night Test match in Brisbane, so they should be right to get through the summer and it's a really important summer as we know.

"They've led our attack really well and they've stood up for us which is great."

Lehmann is frustrated at the criticism Australia copped for not taking Hazlewood or Starc to South Africa when they were whitewashed 5-0 - starting a run that resulted in the Proteas winning this Test series as well.

The decision to rest the star quicks backfired further when Starc suffered a freak knee injury at training that required an extreme rehabilitation and put him off his feet for the month of October.

However, the coach has implored critics to appreciate why the schedule forces them to make these calls - pointing to the career-best form of Hazlewood that suggests his rest from the one-day matches was the best thing for Australia's most reliable bowler.

Hazlewood took 17 wickets at 22 against South Africa, his best ever performance in a series.