HIS position in the Test side locked in, Victorian quick Peter Siddle will sit out Australia’s final lead-up match to next week’s first Ashes Test in Cardiff.

Siddle, clearly Australia’s best bowler last week in Hove against Sussex, has effectively been rested in order to have him fresh for back-to-back Tests in Cardiff and Lord’s.

In his absence, veteran quicks Brett Lee and Stuart Clark and off-spinner Nathan Hauritz will hold a three-way battle in the four-day match against England A starting today for the remaining two berths in Australia’s pace attack

As expected, bowling spearhead Mitchell Johnson was named to play his first game since Australia was dumped from the ICC World Twenty20 on June 8.

In a blow to his chances of making his Ashes debut in Cardiff, Tasmanian quick Ben Hilfenhaus was left out of the side.

Captain Ricky Ponting said bowling coach Troy Cooley was satisfied Siddle could finish off his Test preparations bowling in the nets rather than out in the middle.

Despite Ponting’s assertion that ‘there’s absolutely no certainties for the first Test right at the moment’, only a freak accident would see Johnson and Siddle not play in Cardiff.

“We’re still a couple of weeks away from that first Test match and lots of things can change in that period of time in international cricket,” Ponting said.

“Right now the spots are still up for grabs as far as I’m concerned. I said arriving here there were five fast bowlers in our squad, probably all of them felt they should be playing that first Test.”

“Taking three into this game, there’s obviously another great opportunity for them to put their names forward and show us what they can do.”

Ponting had been expecting the pitch at Worcester to be slow and similar to what they faced last week in Sussex, but rain yesterday may make conditions livelier.

“I had a quick look at it on the way past yesterday when the guys were rolling it out there, it had a little bit of grass on it but it didn’t feel overly hard so generally means it’ll be a little bit on the slow side,” he said.

“Overall it might be good preparation. We’re expecting something to be quite slow in Cardiff as well.”

http://www.cricket.com.au/default.aspx?s=”And last week it was a good opportunity for us to really start to get used to those slower conditions and the ball getting quite soft. The ball got quite soft and we expect that to happen again here.”

“They’d be the sort of conditions I’d be expecting so overall it should be another good hit out for us with what we’ve got in mind for Cardiff.”

Teams
Australia: Ricky Ponting (c), Phillip Hughes, Simon Katich, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Marcus North, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Nathan Hauritz, Stuart Clark

England Lions: Ian Bell (c), Tim Bresnan, Joe Denly, Steven Davies, Stephen Harmison, Sajid Mahmood, Stephen Moore, Eoin Morgan, Graham Onions, Adil Rashid, Vikram Solanki. (CA).