Test stars Simon Katich and Doug Bollinger were Monday selected to play for New South Wales in this week's Sheffield Shield in a bid to prove their fitness for the opening Ashes Test in Brisbane later this month.
Test stars Simon Katich and Doug Bollinger were Monday selected to play for New South Wales in this week's Sheffield Shield in a bid to prove their fitness for the opening Ashes Test in Brisbane later this month.
Katich is playing in his first four-day domestic match of the season after a fractured thumb injury from last month's tour to India while paceman Bollinger is testing an abdominal strain.
Both were selected for the 17-man Test squad named Monday and selectors said officials would watch this week's domestic and Australia A fixtures before trimming the party to 13 before the opening Test on November 25.
But Test vice-captain Michael Clarke will not play for NSW against Ricky Ponting's Tasmania in Sydney as he treats a back complaint which flared during last weekend's Shield loss to Victoria.
NSW will also be without their one-day international paceman Mitchell Starc, who misses four weeks after a side strain picked up while bowling in the Victoria game.
NSW will also be without Phillip Hughes, Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith, Mark Cameron and Stephen O'Keefe, who will all be playing for Australia A against England in Hobart starting on Wednesday.
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