24 June,2009 10:38 AM IST | | PA Sport
Brett Lee is today among four Australian seamers auditioning against Sussex for an Ashes slot alongside Mitchell Johnson.
The tourists cautiously chose to rest key bowler Johnson in their first and penultimate tour match before the Ashes start next month, while all-rounder Shane Watson awaits the results of a scan on his knee injury.
It means Lee, Stuart Clark, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus face an apparent 'bowl-off' in Hove for the likely reward of a place in the team to face England Lions at Worcester next week, with the obvious implication that they will form part of the attack for the Ashes opener in Cardiff.
Captain Ricky Ponting still expects Watson to be fit to face the Lions, but Australia have not completely ruled out the possibility of calling up extra batting cover.
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A reciprocal agreement with England's 2006-07 tourists Down Under means a 12-a-side match is scheduled today, and there will be no First Class status for the four-day fixture at Hove.
Ponting, who yesterday announced his team in a press conference at the County Ground, has made it clear the stakes will be high for all concerned on the south coast this week.
"We have got the right to play 12 players in this game, but that does not mean we will be using it as practice," he spelled out.
"We will be using this game to get used to the conditions.
"We believe this wicket will be the most like Cardiff anywhere in the country, so it will be a good opportunity for us as batsmen to get used to the pace and bounce, maybe a bit of spin."
Off-spinner Nathan Hauritz is the only specialist slow bowler in the Australia squad and Ponting anticipates a significant four days coming up for him, in particular.
"It will be a good opportunity for our bowlers to be able to experience those conditions, working out the lengths and line they need to bowl," he predicted.
"It will be especially useful for Hauritz to get good exposure to the sort of conditions.
"We will play the game to win. It will not be a four-day boring game; it will be a good quality cricket match, which both sides and the fans will enjoy."
