For all the talk of Ashes change, injuries are the only things that can turn the Australian selectors from their preferred line-up for the opening Test
Peter English09-Nov-2010For all the talk of Ashes change, injuries are the only things that can turn the Australian selectors from their preferred line-up for the opening Test. While Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, appeared in Adelaide to say there is a chance (there’s always a chance) for batsmen such as Callum Ferguson and Usman Khawaja to push their way in, the panel has known its dream XI for most of the year.Unless Simon Katich and Doug Bollinger succumb to lingering injuries, almost all of the men who lost the urn at The Oval will be given an initial chance to get it back. Among those Hilditch supported were Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus, Michael Clarke and Nathan Hauritz, whose sore heel allowed Stuart Clark to appear in the deciding 2009 Ashes fixture.Hilditch expects to name a squad on Monday that contains four specialist fast bowlers for the Gabba, but he indicated a pace quartet was extremely unlikely given Shane Watson’s ability to deliver important overs. That leaves Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus to train alongside Peter Siddle and Bollinger, who remain favourites of the panel despite slow comebacks from injury.As long as Bollinger, who hurt his stomach in India, remains healthy through the Sheffield Shield match next week, he will be in Brisbane. “We’re expecting [Bollinger] to be fit for the first Test,” Hilditch said. “He’ll have to get through the Shield game to be considered for the final line-up. We think that will be enough. We’re being pretty conservative with Doug, he’s an important player for us, so we’re giving him maximum time to recover.”Hauritz struggled in India, as most visiting spinners do, but Hilditch pointed to his strong record in Australia over the past year, which makes him a certainty. Last summer Hauritz captured 29 wickets at 26.82 and was particularly effective against Pakistan.Australian teams rarely carry a spare batsman for home Tests and with no interest in having more pace options, a 12-man outfit is likely unless there are serious injury concerns. One problem the selectors have is that the squad will be chosen ahead of a full round of Shield fixtures and the England-Australia A contest. The team announcement will come 10 days before the toss in Brisbane, forcing the panel to lock in its choices without knowing whether they will all be fit.Katich hurt his thumb on the India tour but played through both Tests with the fracture and ligament damage. Time is running out for him and he is hoping to join Bollinger at New South Wales next week. Hilditch doesn’t think Katich’s injury will be a concern. “Again, we’re taking a pretty conservative approach,” he said. The cautious method has been a regular criticism of Hilditch’s panel.The outlook of the four-man group has been freshened by the inclusion of Greg Chappell, but it would be a major shock if Hussey or Marcus North, the two most vulnerable batsmen, were cut before the country’s biggest series. In Melbourne today Chappell said no discussions had taken place about the line-up, but not to expect wholesale changes. “I’d rather see that we gave them one chance too many than one chance too few,” he said.Hussey failed twice for Western Australia two weeks ago but backed up with 71 not out, 15 and 6 not out in the ODI series against Sri Lanka. “You’ve got to have regard for the fact [Hussey] averages 50 in Test cricket,” Hilditch said. “He’s been a great player for Australia, but he will be looking to get runs to stay in the squad, like everyone else.”Given Hilditch’s support for Hussey, the only way in for a young player is if the panel suddenly loses interest in North, who registered 19 and 1 against England in the tour game. However, he produced a century under pressure in Bangalore and recorded another one for Western Australia against South Australia to save the game. It would be a huge back-flip for the selectors, who have watched him splutter for a year, to dump him on the eve of the contest they have stubbornly marked him down for.There is currently a big push for Ferguson, a South Australia batsman with a first-class average of 36, despite him spending most of his time on Adelaide’s flat surfaces. Ferguson, who produced a century against Western Australia last month, will face England in the three-day touring game from Thursday.”He has been in our sights for some time,” Hilditch said. “He looks in really good touch and this will be a big game for him, it will be interesting to see how he goes. Whether there’s an opportunity depends on our deliberations on Monday and how people go over the next few days.”While talk of the team dominated his time, Hilditch also said the biggest thing for Australia to work out was why they were losing close matches. Over the past 18 months the Test side has thrown away winning positions in Cardiff and Mohali, while the one-day outfit was swamped by a sensational comeback from Sri Lanka in Melbourne last week.Hilditch said the defeats in India would “impact on morale to a certain extent”, and that England would be stronger than when they won in 2009. “Losing close matches over the last two years has been the sole difference between being right up there with the best,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll have those solutions by the time we get to the Gabba.” Fixing that issue will take much longer than it will for the selectors to settle on the first Test squad.Probable Test squad Simon Katich, Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Marcus North, Brad Haddin (wk), Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus, Doug Bollinger.