It is perhaps a testament to how strong the Australians perceive their team to be, or at any rate want to project their team as being, that players of the calibre of Brett Lee and Stuart cannot take for granted their place in the international cricket team of their country.  With the presence of the likes of Mitchell Johnson supported by Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus, Brett Lee, long a mainstay of the Australian team can no longer count on his place in the Aussie side and it would seem according to the cricket news that he as well as Stuart Clark would have to wait their turn to play in the Ashes series. They have both been out of the team due to injury and because of this it may be difficult for them to once again find their spot in the Aussie side.

"Where Stuart and Brett are in the pecking order, we don't know at the moment. Lee is a bit of an unknown [after ankle surgery]. The first two games before the first Test will tell us,” said skipper Ricky Ponting in the cricket news.

Reportedly the Aussies want to play more than 11 players in their lead up matches to the Ashes. The fitness of all rounder Shane Watson is another point that will be under consideration and observation. A factor that will be in consideration is also the balls that are routinely used for international cricket in England. Duke balls are used and as such they take some getting used to for other international sides. "Our guys will get a great opportunity to use their [England's] cricket ball for a few weeks leading into the first Test. That was probably what brought us undone last time, their ability to use their ball well and we were a little off the boil with it" said Ricky Ponting.

Reverse swing is another factor that is a feature of cricket in England but vice captain Michael Clarke was confident of this not being a problem for his team. "Our knowledge, certainly of the guys who have been there before, is a little bit more educated than what it was four years ago. Generally the difference with the English ball and the Kookaburra [which is used in Australia] is our ball swings from the start,” said Clarke.

"It doesn't swing as early in England, then it starts to swing a bit later. Reverse-swing is as big a part as natural swing over there. It sounds like they are having a pretty good summer with weather, that being the case it will probably be pretty dry and we'll have to combat reverse-swing as well," added Clarke.

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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