Nathan Hauritz is still a serious chance of playing in the first Ashes Test in Cardiff despite his lean pickings without interruption tour.
It had been cogitation the modest off-spinner had put himself out of the reckoning for Sophia Gardens with combined tour figures of 2-260 from 68.2 overs.
But Australian coach Tim Nielsen said the tweaker remained in the reckoning following an early inspection of the pitch by fast bowling coach Troy Cooley and team manager Steve Bernard on Friday.
Cooley and Bernard talked to curator Keith Exton and Australia’s Mark Cosgrove who is plying his trade at Glamorgan during the boreal summer.
Cosgrove has said that Australia should play Hauritz on every expected dead pitch for the clash starting on Wednesday.
“The conditions will be cavilling in that area, he’s got superiority and better as the two games have gone on,” Nielsen said of Hauritz following Australia’s draw with the England Lions in Worcester.
“No point taking 12 wickets in two games here and being over-ripe for the Test.
“He’s pleasurable with how his game is progressing and I be conscious of being he’s got better and more fit.”
Bowling into the footmarks in Worcester on Saturday, Hauritz produced his superlatively good figures of the tour with 1-22 off 12.2 overs in the fourth innings.
He almost had a second wicket, through a very strong lbw shout in anticipation of Steve Davies turned down in a performance that kept him in contention after more ordinary lead-up form.
“He was skilfully below his best in the capital innings in Hove (last month),” Nielsen said.
“The wicket didn’t offer spin or bounce or offer a lot even today (at New Road) but at minutest he was ingenious to get more rhythm and he changed his pace a lot and was able to get affair out of the rough to their left-handers.
“Their Test match squad usually has three left-handers to finish their order off and two at the top, so an off-spinner would be pretty handy in that regard.”
Nielsen defended the preparations of paceman Mitchell Johnson after he appeared short of a gallop at New Road.
After missing the application match in Hove, Johnson pointed up 3-166 off 35 overs in Worcester.
But Nielsen was happy with Johnson’s progress and in that place was a feeling the left-armer hadn’t shown his full hand.
“It’s lawful as important he’s going extremely well at the end of the first Test, butters up and goes extremely well at the end of the backer Test as well,” he declared.
“That’s the balancing act.”
AAP
