Five Oz pacemen battle for Test berths in West Indies series

Melbourne: Five Australian fast bowlers are battling for a Test berth against the West Indies ahead of the first game in Barbados next week.

Test squad members Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle have arrived in Bridgetown and will join Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson and Ben Hilfenhaus to battle for three likely spots in the Test line-up. Harris had earlier claimed he was behind Pattinson, Siddle and Hilfenhaus in the race for the starting spots, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. The squad for a three-day tour match against a Board President`s XI will mirror the selectors` intentions. Pattinson, Hilfenhaus and Starc have the advantage of featuring in the Caribbean throughout the one-day and Twenty20 campaigns, but their match opportunities have been limited. Meanwhile, West Indies batsman Brendan Nash is hoping for a Test recall after showing good form for Jamaica in the regional four-day competition, but has headed to England to take up a county deal with Kent. ANI