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Waughs retained in Australian Test squad
Sydney, Aug 24: Veteran skipper Steve Waugh and twin brother Mark were retained in a 14-man Australian Test squad for the upcoming series against Pakistan.
Sydney, Aug 24: Veteran skipper Steve Waugh and twin brother Mark were retained in a 14-man Australian Test squad for the upcoming series against Pakistan.
The venue for the series has not been confirmed, although it will be played at a neutral location because the Australian Cricket Board will not send a touring team to Pakistan for safety reasons. The squad, announced Saturday, also included 20-year-old test rookie Nathan Hauritz, an off-spinner who has represented Australia in limited-overs internationals.
Stuart MacGill was dropped from the squad that toured South Africa, with chairman of selectors Trevor Hohn saying his panel had opted for an off-spinner to partner Shane Warne rather than take two leg-spinners.
Hauritz "inclusion will also give us some added variety in the spin bowling department by having a player that can offer us quality spells of off-spin," he said.
Hauritz, who is part of the limited-overs squad departing Monday for the tour of Kenya and the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka, said touring with the test team "will be a fantastic opportunity for me and it has come so soon after the selectors put me in the mix for the one-day team." Steve Waugh, 37, hasn't been included in Australia's limited-overs squad in recent series and earlier this month embarked on a short stint with English county club Kent in a bid to prepare himself for the upcoming Ashes series against England.
Australian squad: Steven Waugh (captain), Adam Gilchrist (vice-captain), Andrew Bichel, Jason Gillespie, Nathan Hauritz, Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Brett Lee, Darren Lehmann, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne, Mark Waugh. Bureau Report
The venue for the series has not been confirmed, although it will be played at a neutral location because the Australian Cricket Board will not send a touring team to Pakistan for safety reasons. The squad, announced Saturday, also included 20-year-old test rookie Nathan Hauritz, an off-spinner who has represented Australia in limited-overs internationals.
Stuart MacGill was dropped from the squad that toured South Africa, with chairman of selectors Trevor Hohn saying his panel had opted for an off-spinner to partner Shane Warne rather than take two leg-spinners.
Hauritz "inclusion will also give us some added variety in the spin bowling department by having a player that can offer us quality spells of off-spin," he said.
Hauritz, who is part of the limited-overs squad departing Monday for the tour of Kenya and the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka, said touring with the test team "will be a fantastic opportunity for me and it has come so soon after the selectors put me in the mix for the one-day team." Steve Waugh, 37, hasn't been included in Australia's limited-overs squad in recent series and earlier this month embarked on a short stint with English county club Kent in a bid to prepare himself for the upcoming Ashes series against England.
Australian squad: Steven Waugh (captain), Adam Gilchrist (vice-captain), Andrew Bichel, Jason Gillespie, Nathan Hauritz, Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Brett Lee, Darren Lehmann, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne, Mark Waugh. Bureau Report