Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey, who have played 224 Tests between them, are probably safe for the Boxing Day Test against India.
Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey, who have played 224 Tests between them, are probably safe for the Boxing Day Test against India, which commences from December 26, although one of them will be vulnerable to the axe if both Shaun Marsh and Dan Christian are picked.
Both Ponting and Mike Hussey have held their places in the 13-man squad for the series, but Marsh's quest to return to the top order and all-rounder Dan Christian's push to break into the top six will continue to fuel debate about the positions of the two veterans as the Border-Gavaskar series unfolds, reports the Daily Telegraph.
Ponting has played the last two Boxing Day Tests under severe physical adversity, having been struck on the elbow by West Indies quick Kemar Roach in Perth leading into the Melbourne Test against Pakistan the summer before last, and taking a broken finger into last summer's Ashes fixture.
The Chairman of the National Selection Panel (NSP), John Inverarity, has indicated that Ed Cowan and David Warner would open the batting in the first Test, with Marsh and Christian fighting for the other batting position.
Skipper Michael Clarke said that if Christian is chosen in the eleven, either Ponting or Hussey would be out of the squad.
“If everybody is fit, we will work out if the all-rounder is the best option. If it is, then a batter will have to miss, because I see Dan as a No. 6 batter who can do that bowling for us as well,'' said Clarke.
Coach Mickey Arthur has this week talked up the benefits of a fifth bowling option and declined to guarantee the positions of Ponting and Hussey.
''Like Mickey said, there's no guarantees for any player,'' Clarke said, adding that: ''We need to come out and perform against India in this first Test. As a batsman you have to score runs, as a bowler you have to take wickets.''
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