Aussies gamble on fresh talent

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP):

Three untried bowlers are among four uncapped players included in a new-look Australia squad for the upcoming Test series in Sri Lanka, as selectors gamble on fresh talent to stop a slide down the rankings.

The rebuilding phase that began following the retirements of greats such as Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Matthew Hayden accelerated yesterday as selectors named pacemen James Pattinson and Trent Copeland, and yet another obscure spin-bowling selection in Nathan Lyon.

Shaun Marsh, the son of former Australia opener and coach, Geoff Marsh, was also added to the squad after selectors lost patience with allrounder Steve Smith batting at No. 6.

Phillip Hughes was also confirmed as the replacement for dumped opener Simon Katich, who didn't have his national contract renewed for 2011-2012 despite being one Australia's leading batsmen in the Test arena over the previous two years.

Biggest shock

But the biggest shock was Lyon, with chief selector Andrew Hilditch even conceding yesterday that the off-spinner was the "surprise selection'' after just four first-class matches.

Lyon was working as a groundsman at the Adelaide Oval during the last Ashes series, which starkly illustrated the need for new bowlers.

"He nearly needed a heart starter when I told him,'' chief selector Andrew Hilditch joked Tuesday. "In an ideal world you would have wanted him to play more. But that is not where we're at at the moment, we're looking for our best spinners.''

Even Lyon, who has taken four first-class wickets for South Australia at a modest average of 43, described his selection as "unreal".

"It has certainly come out of the blue but I'm not going to knock it back, that is for sure,'' he said. "Every kid dreams of playing for their country and to get the opportunity ... is going to be an unbelievable experience.''

Picking best for australia

Hilditch played down talk of a major overhaul of the Australian bowling attack directly stemming from the Ashes, saying "We're picking the best team for Australia.

"It's not something we are just picking young players because that is the way we want to go,'' he said. "But we need some experienced players, which we think we have got, and we also need to find a couple of new champions in the next couple of years.''

Copeland was selected after taking 87 wickets from his 17 first-class matches for New South Wales, while 21-year-old Pattinson has played only eight first-class games for Victoria, but is seen as a star in the making. His older brother Darren played one Test against South Africa in 2008 after just 11 first-class matches.

Michael Clarke will be leading the Test team as permanent captain for the first time when the series against Sri Lanka starts August 31 at Galle. The Test series will follow two Twenty20 internationals and a limited-overs series next month. The 36-year-old Ricky Ponting, who was replaced as captain after Australia's quarterfinal exit at the World Cup, was included as a secialist batsman in the Test squad.

Test squad: Michael Clarke (captain), Shane Watson (vice-captain), Michael Beer, Trent Copeland, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Phillip Hughes, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, James Pattinson, Ricky Ponting, Peter Siddle.