Aussies announce squad for 1st Test vs SL

Australian selectors named two spinners in a 13-man squad for the first cricket Test against Sri Lanka, starting at Brisbane next week.

Australian selectors named two spinners on Thursday in a 13-man squad for the first cricket Test against Sri Lanka, starting at Brisbane next week.

Legspinner Stuart MacGill and left-armer Brad Hogg will likely vie for a single spinner’s position in the Australian line up for the November 8 match at the Gabba ground. Brett Lee will lead an Australian pace attack comprising Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Tait.

MacGill, 36, picks up the leg-spinning role left vacant by the retirement at the end of Australia’s last test season of world record wicket-taker Shane Warne. He is favoured to play his 41st Test match and his first since last April’s test against Bangladesh at Chittagong.

Hogg’s recent good form in domestic first class play has won him inclusion in the Australian squad and his left-arm bowling offers the selectors, and captain Ricky Ponting, additional variety. His last Test was against Bangladesh at Sydney in 2003.

Chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said he wanted to see all 13 players training in Brisbane before making a final decision on the Australian XI.

“Stuart MacGill is an excellent legspinner with a great record for Australia, and Brad Hogg, despite having limited (test) experience due to his outstanding one-day record, is coming off a very strong performance for Western Australia in the (domestic) Pura Cup,” Hilditch said.

“Having both of them in the squad gives us the opportunity again to assess the conditions and decide upon what selection is best.”

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Shaun Tait squeezed Ben Hilfenhaus out of the fourth fast bowling position, following his strong recovery from elbow surgery.

Meanwhile, New South Wales opener Phil Jaques has been chosen to replace the retired Justin Langer as Matthew Hayden’s opening partner. The left-handed Jaques, 28, will be playing only his third test match and his first for 18 months.

Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist backed Hogg’s recall after keeping wicket to him as he returned match figures of 8 for 83 for Western Australia against Queensland this week.

“He had a terrific game,” Gilchrist said. “He himself says he’s bowling as well as he has at any point in his career and I’d probably have to back him up in that regard and say that his consistency is what’s coming through. He’s in the mix.”

Warne this week backed MacGill’s claim to selection.

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“He deserves his chance and hopefully he grabs it,” Warne said.

“He may not have bowled that well for New South Wales against Queensland this week but he is one of those guys that will raise his level in a Test.”

Squad: Ricky Ponting (captain), Adam Gilchrist, Stuart Clark, Michael Clarke, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hogg, Michael Hussey, Phil Jaques, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Stuart MacGill, Andrew Symonds, Shaun Tait.