SYDNEY, Nov 15: Australia's selectors will be the focus of attention on Thursday when they name a squad for the first Ashes Test against England in Brisbane. The announcement is due to be made in Melbourne at 0200 GMT.

One of the issues they have to resolve is whether to play six specialist batsmen or look to use Shane Watson or Andrew Symonds as an all-rounder.

The selectors must also decide on a third specialist seamer to support Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee. The main names under discussion are Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Bracken, who recently played in the one-day Champions Trophy in India, Shaun Tait and Stuart Clark.

Johnson and Bracken are both left-armers and would add variety to the attack. Tait, however, is faster than both and took 3-21 for a Prime Minister's XI against England in Canberra last week.

But it may be that Clark is seen as a safer option and he can be highly effective if pitches offer seam movement, as he showed with 20 wickets in the series in South Africa earlier this year. —Agencies