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| March 8, 2006 | Wednesday | Safar 7, 1427 |
Ashes trio recalled but no joy for Gillespie
SYDNEY, March 7: Australia on Tuesday recalled three Ashes casualties in Damien Martyn, Michael Clarke and Michael Kasprowicz but snubbed fellow discard Jason Gillespie’s push for a Test return in South Africa.
Selectors instead named two-Test novice Shaun Tait and uncapped seamer Stuart Clark in a 14-man squad that had no room for batsman Brad Hodge and New South Wales quick Nathan Bracken.
Tait, like Gillespie, failed to impress in the Ashes series but Hohns was full of praise for the 23-year-old who is returning from a shoulder injury.
Gillespie’s omission will be a bitter blow for the 30-year-old paceman, who has taken 34 first class wickets at 21.85 for this year as he fights to prove he retains the zip that earned him 69 Test caps.
But the South Australian was unable to win over selectors, unlike fellow Ashes discards Martyn, Kasprowicz and Clarke, who was dropped soon after returning from England.
Hohns admitted it was a close call between Gillespie and Kasprowicz, the leading wicket taker in the Australian domestic competition.
Kasprowicz, 34, who has earned eight Test recalls in a roller-coaster career, put his latest revival down to a back-to-basics approach he adopted after the Ashes failure.
Former golden boy Clarke has hit six half-centuries in 17 One-day Internationals since being axed and Hohns said he had worked hard for his recall.
Clark, who has a record of 22 wickets in 13 one-day internationals, said he was amazed to be named in the squad, while Hodge — with an average of 58.42 runs in five Tests including a double century, described being dropped as “devastating”.
Martyn was widely regarded as an unlucky scapegoat when he was dropped after a poor Ashes performance blotted an exemplary career that includes an average of 47.96 in 61 Tests.
Squad: Ricky Ponting (captain), Adam Gilchrist (vice-captain), Stuart Clark, Michael Clarke, Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Michael Kasprowicz, Justin Langer, Brett Lee, Stuart MacGill, Damien Martyn, Andrew Symonds, Shaun Tait, Shane Warne.—AFP
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