Aussies face pace grimace

MELBOURNE, DEC 24: Australia may be without both their pace bowlers for the fourth Test with England starting here on December 26. Glenn ...

MELBOURNE, DEC 24: Australia may be without both their pace bowlers for the fourth Test with England starting here on December 26. Glenn McGrath was battling a mystery virus today, the day after Jason Gillespie pulled out with a knee injury.

Possible replacements, Michael Kasprowicz and Paul Reiffel both suffered leg injuries during the Australian XI8217;s victory against England in Hobart earlier this week.

However, Australian captain Mark Taylor was hopeful McGrath would be fit for the fourth Ashes Test. Taylor said McGrath complained of a virus on the final day of the third Test win in Adelaide that secured Australia the Ashes for a sixth consecutive time. 8220;He8217;s had a week off and he8217;s feeling a lot better,8221; Taylor said.

Western Australia8217;s Matthew Nicholson, 24, was a surprise replacement for Gillespie.

Taylor said he had only seen Nicholson bowl nine overs, for the Prime Minister8217;s XI against England in a one-day match in Canberra last week.8220;I know from what I have heard and what I have seen he8217;squite sharp and can move the ball away from the righthanders,8221; Taylor said.

8220;In that regard he8217;s in the Gillespie mould but whether he8217;s going to be as accurate and as consistent we may find out come Boxing Day.8221;

England will name their team after a Christmas Day fielding session. England8217;s embattled cricketers will forsake the Christmas tree tomorrow to spend the morning as they have for most of the past two months: chasing leather.

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England will be sweating through fielding training with temperatures forecast to reach 37 degrees celsius at MCG. More than 70,000 people are expected to follow tradition and crowd Australian cricket8217;s oldest Test venue on Saturday.

Time, please: Television viewers and spectators at the Melbourne Cricket Ground will discover just how quick Australia8217;s new pace weapon Matthew Nicholson is. A device called the speedster, which measures a cricket ball8217;s speed every 1/1000th of a second, will be used during the fourth and fifth Ashes Tests and selected One-DayInternationals in the New Year.

The speed of each delivery will be shown on a giant digital display after each ball, with plenty of interest centered on Nicholson. There are suggestions he is Australia8217;s fastest bowler.

Former Australian Jeff Thomson of the 1970s was timed at 160.4 km/h in 1975. His record has survived the test of time, with Pakistan8217;s Shoaib Akhtar the next quickest on record at 148.8 km/h.