Australia 'A' team named

[Go_The_Mighty_Magpies]

Hussey captains A team

Fox Sports

WEST Australian opener Michael Hussey was today selected to captain Australia A in the tour match with India, starting next Friday in Hobart.

Promising batsman Michael Clarke was named as Hussey's deputy in the team which has a mix of up-and-coming talent and proven campaigners.

Clarke's rivals for retiring Test captain Stephen Waugh's place in the Australian side, Martin Love and Brad Hodge, will also show their wares in the A-team.

The national selectors rewarded young South Australian fast bowlers Paul Rofe and Shaun Tait for their impressive starts to this season's Pura Cup competition, while Victorian leg-spinner Cameron White was also selected.

The team: Michael Hussey (capt), Michael Clarke (vice-capt), Chris Rogers, Martin Love, Brad Hodge, Cameron White, Wade Seccombe, Matthew Nicholson, Damien Wright, Paul Rofe, Shaun Tait.

[Donny]

Can't complain.

A good side but hard to have Clarke ahead of White as vice captain.

Four in form quicks, one of which will be 12th. man.

[Donny]

It is a little surprising Harvey and/or Symonds are not included.

They're either not in the selectors' minds for the longer form of the game or they just wanted to give Wright, Nicho, Rofe and Tait a run for perusal.

[Donny]

After further thought, Dan Marsh is a little unlucky not to have made this team.

OK, just for fun, let's look at a third team.

Elliott
Maher
Blewett
Dighton
Goodwin
Marsh
Campbell
Harvey
Hauritz
Inness
Kasprowicz
Symonds (12th.)
-----------------------

So that's the 12 in Adelaide, the 12 in the Australia 'A' team and the 12 in the third team.

So, who else is there ? Oh, one or two others: McGrath, Lee, Warne, Bevan, Wilson, North, Dawes, Clingeleffer ....

[Donny]

Time to bring on new aces of pace

By Michael McGuire - Fox Sports

AUSTRALIA have continued the process of identifying replacements for their ageing and injury-prone pace attack, plucking two South Australian tyros to lead the nation's second-string bowling attack against India in a three-day game starting on Friday.

Paul Rofe, 22, and Shaun Tait, 20, were the surprise picks in the Australia A team to play India in Hobart as the selectors start to consider finding replacements for injured spearhead Glenn McGrath, who will be 34 in February, and in the longer term Test pacemen Andy Bichel, 33, Jason Gillespie, 28 and Brad Williams, 29.

While Rofe has been a consistent performer in his four seasons with South Australia and has taken 19 wickets at 23.32 this season, Tait represents the biggest punt by the selectors.

In three Pura Cup games in an injury-interrupted season for the Redbacks, Tait has taken a modest eight wickets at 35.5 but his raw pace has attracted admirers.

Tait, who made his debut for South Australia last season, has played only eight first-class games, taking 28 wickets at 26.25.

Australia's captain Steve Waugh faced Tait in an ING Cup game and labelled him "very quick". In that game, Tait dismissed Test batsman Simon Katich and NSW wicketkeeper Brad Haddin in taking 2-16 from eight fiery overs.

Tait said yesterday the game against NSW had been a turning point.

"I think that game was probably the biggest game of my career so far," Tait said. "I think bowling well to him (Waugh) was not a bad thing to do."

By Tait's own admission, his game is built on pace and intimidation, leaving precision and conservatism to his team-mate Rofe, whose style is similar to the metronomic qualities of McGrath's.

"I'm not really a zone bowler that bores them out," he said. "I'm more of a bowler trying to bowl as many wicket balls as I possibly can."

Joining Tait and Rofe in the attack to face India will be the relatively experienced Tasmanian Damien Wright, who has 21 wickets this season, and former Test paceman Matthew Nicholson, who has resurrected his career with an off-season move to NSW from Western Australia.

In looking to promote youth, the Australia A team will also include Victoria's captain Cameron White, 20, and Australia's one-day player Michael Clarke, 22, who is also the vice-captain.

This year, selectors said they would pursue a more youthful look to the Australia A team to concentrate on developing new talent rather than to just reward performance.

Consequently, established state stars such as South Australia's captain Greg Blewett and Australia's one-day regular Michael Bevan have missed out, although chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns said such players were not out of contention for the Test squad.

"There are some senior players who have performed well for Australia A in the past who have missed out on selection," Hohns said.

"That's certainly not to say these players are out of national calculations."

Hohns also said that selection for the two one-day international games the A-team play against India and Zimbabwe next month would favour youth.

Aside from Clarke, the batting line-up consists of West Australian Michael Hussey, who is also captain, his team-mate Chris Rogers, Queenslander Martin Love, who posted a score of 300 not out last month, and Victorian Brad Hodge, who is averaging 115.8 this season.

The batting is further bolstered by Queensland wicketkeeper Wade Seccombe, who has scored 290 runs at 48.33 this season.

It is the country's bowling ranks which are cause for most concern with the three leading bowlers McGrath, Brett Lee and Gillespie also out with injury recently.

[Fradam]

what does Inness have to do to get a game?

[Donny]

Good question, Frads.

He picked up his illness after the Aust. A team was picked.

I left him out of my third team because, initially, I thought he was out for the season. I have rectified that. He replaces Joe Dawes.

[commonwombat]

Donny,

Am not sure whether hell has officially frozen over but do concur very strongly with yr Australian 3rd XI which, if comparitively advanced in years, may be arguably stronger than the A side announced.

Please excuse my one point of order. Would agree totally with Goodwin being selected on merit but having been a Zimbabwe intl would he not be ineleigible. Then again as a notional XI, I suppose we can then let these technicalities slide.

[Donny]

Yes, it was a notional third team and I'm not sure about Goodwin's eligibility for Australia. Will find out.

[commonwombat]

Goodwin has spent much of his life and career in Australia, so residency is no problem. However having represented one country, time would have to elapse before he could represent another. His quality is unquestionable but age would probable mitigate against.

These periods vary with different sports. Many Olympic sports have a period of 3 years, Rugby is a total farce. In the past cricket has been @ 4 years, ie Sth Africans like Lamb, Wessels, Smith and Zimbos like Hick served this period; this may or may not have changed.