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| November 17, 2006 | Friday | Shawwal 24, 1427 |
Australia opt for speed for Ashes opener
SYDNEY, Nov 16: Australia have signalled their intention to fight fire with fire by picking five fast bowlers in a 13-man squad for next week's first Ashes Test against England in Brisbane.
The selectors kept faith in most of their ageing batsmen that lost the Ashes last year but beefed up their bowling stocks with the inclusion of Stuart Clark, Shaun Tait and the uncapped Mitchell Johnson, although only one of them is likely to play.
Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and leg-spinner Shane Warne will lead the attack while all-rounder Shane Watson is also expected to play as Australia look for a counter to England's Andrew Flintoff and their explosive pacemen.
“We believe this is a squad capable of winning back the Ashes,” Australia's chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said in a statement.
“We've picked a very strong squad which reflects the fact that Australia has been successful at international level for some time.
“We are showing faith in those players who have contributed to that success, while at the same time injecting some youth into the squad with the inclusions of Shane Watson, Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Tait.”
Tait played the final two tests of the last Ashes series but has been plagued by injuries ever since although he caught the selector's attention by taking three wickets in a warm up match against the tourists last Friday.
Australia captain Ricky Ponting said he was delighted with the depth of his squad and could not wait for the Ashes to start.
“This series is going to be huge, we've all been waiting for it for 14-15 months and the crowds around Australia have been exactly the same,” he said.
“There's been huge anticipation for this series and the players are really excited about getting to Brisbane and getting our preparation under way.”
Australia squad: Ricky Ponting (captain), Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn, Michael Hussey, Shane Watson, Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee, Shane Warne, Stuart Clark, Glenn McGrath, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Tait. —Reuters
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