Australian selectors have recalled Brad Haddin to the Test squad...

Australian selectors have recalled Brad Haddin to the Test squad as vice-captain and included veteran batsman Chris Rogers for the upcoming Ashes tour.

Quest for the urn


First Test - England v Australia
Trent Bridge
July 10-July 14

Second Test - England v Australia
Lord's
July 18-July 22

Third Test - England v Australia
Old Trafford
August 1-August 5

Fourth Test - England v Australia
Chester-le-Street
August 9-August 13

Fifth Test - England v Australia
The Oval
August 21-August 25
James Faulkner has also been given an opportunity to stake a claim on a Baggy Green cap, while 35-year-old Rogers makes a long-awaited return to Test cricket after featuring once for Australia in 2008.

Ryan Harris also returns after being left out of a number of Test squads following his struggles with injury.

But Mitchell Johson misses out after failing to make an impression in Australia's 4-0 whitewash in India in March. All-rounders Moises Henriques, Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell have also failed to make the squad.

Haddin was named as skipper Michael Clarke's deputy after all-rounder Shane Watson stood down from the role last week in order to focus on his batting and bowling.

Australia's quest to bring the urn back home begins on July 10 in the first Test at Trent Bridge but the squad will tune up with tour matches against Somerset, Worcestershire, Sussex and Northamptonshire before and during the series.

The visitors have not won an Ashes series in England since 2001, when Steve Waugh's men won in convincing fashion 4-1 before triumphing by the same margin Down Under 16 months later.

The old enemy has prevailed in the past two Ashes tilts on its own soil - 2-1 with two draws in both 2005 and 2009 - and retained the urn in November 2010 with a 3-1-1 result in Australia.

Australia's Ashes squad:


Michael Clarke (c), Brad Haddin (vc), Jackson Bird, Ed Cowan, James Faulkner, Ryan Harris, Phillip Hughes, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, James Pattinson, Chris Rogers, Peter Siddle, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Shane Watson.

View full team profiles
Haddin backing

His leadership, his experience will play a big part in this group. He's a senior player and experienced player and having the vice-captaincy is something he'll enjoy.
Michael Clarke on Brad Haddin
Clarke backed his new deputy, saying his experience will be crucial in England.

"There's no doubt with firstly Shane [Watson] announcing he was going to step down as the vice-captain, with Brad taking over, he has had plenty of experience being a leader around the group, whether that be in NSW or the Australian team," Clarke told reporters.

"I think the most impressive thing about Brad is he has always been up the top of the queue. He continues to put form on the board and that's hard to not see as a selector.

"His leadership, his experience will play a big part in this group. He's a senior player and experienced player and having the vice-captaincy is something he'll enjoy.

On his own fitness, Clarke said he was hopeful of playing all five Ashes Tests.

"I've played 90 odd Test matches and unfortunately I missed one," he said.

"I hope I'm fully fit for all five Test matches in England. But like in any case if the captain is not fit you need to have a replacement there who can can do a great job."


PHOTO: Veteran batsman Chris Rogers has been rewarded for his domestic form with a Test recall. (Getty Images: Scott Barbour)
We believe we're the best possible side. We'll go as underdogs but we are going to win and our aim is to win back the Ashes.
John Inverarity
National selector John Inverarity said Australia may be underdogs in the upcoming series, but it is aiming to win back the Ashes.

He lauded Rogers and Faulkners' records, while praising Harris's return from injury.

"We believe we're the best possible side. We'll go as underdogs but we are going to win and our aim is to win back the Ashes," Inverarity said.

"[Rogers] has been a prolific scorer in England and Australia. In England in 2009-2012 he scored over 5,000 runs, inclusing 17 centuries.

"With Mike (Hussey) and Ricky going there's a gap in experience and Chris fills that gap."

Inverarity praised the progress Faulkner has made as a handy allrounder.

"[Faulkner] has impressed us all in recent months and seasons as a player who get things done. His batting has improved significantly and he is always lurking and taking a wicket.

"Harris comes back into the side. He is very highly regarded and we're delighted he has regained fitness."

Subcontinent failure

Arthur's side was outplayed with the bat on the subcontinent in the absence of team stalwarts Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey, who called time on their careers during the home summer.

In-form skipper Clarke was the best of the bunch, making 130 in the first Test in Chennai and 91 in Hyderabad in the second Test before succumbing to a back complaint and missing the fourth and final game.

Clarke's team-mates were inconsistent, with openers David Warner (two) and Ed Cowan (one) only making three half-centuries between them in the series.

To put it in perspective, Peter Siddle hit two fifties of his own in the final Test and debutant Moises Henriques made 68 and 81 not out in his first outing in the Baggy Green.

Hughes's impressive domestic form did not translate to India's dusty pitches, on which he made just 147 at 18.375, while Usman Khawaja was taken on tour but never used despite his team-mates' failings.

Haddin will also captain the Australia A squad, which will play matches against Scotland, Ireland and Bristol ahead of the Ashes series.

Australia-A squad:


Brad Haddin (c) (NSW), Steve Smith (vc) (NSW), Ashton Agar (WA), Jackson Bird (TAS), Alex Doolan (TAS), Ryan Harris (QLD), Moises Henriques (NSW), Usman Khawaja (NSW), Nathan Lyon (SA), Nic Maddinson (NSW), James Pattinson (VIC), Chadd Sayers (SA), Peter Siddle (VIC) and Jordan Silk (TAS).
Player Biography


Michael Clarke (c)
Following on from a vintage 2012 where he plundered 1,595 runs at a 106.33 average, captain Clarke featured in three of Australia's four Tests against India. He made 286 runs, averaging 47.66 after hitting only one century in the sub-continent.

On slightly more predictable English pitches, Clarke will look to resume his dominant displays against the old foe. Any chances of an Australian series win will rely heavily on what the captain can produce in the middle.

Missing the final Test against India with back and hamstring complaints, Clarke has been working hard to overcome the niggling injury ahead of the Ashes tour.

His captaincy decisions were brave and desperate in equal measure against India as his side struggled in the 4-0 series hammering. A tighter result will be the bare minimum requirement for his fledgling outfit.


Brad Haddin (vc)
Haddin steps into the leadership vacuum exposed by Shane Watson's stepping-down as Test vice-captain. His selection sends mixed messages over the future of incumbent wicket-keeper Matthew Wade, who is likely to be replaced for the first Test by the 35-year-old.

Should he play, Haddin will be expected to shore up some patchy performances behind the stumps by Wade, but more importantly will add some much needed middle-order nous to an Australian line-up lean on runs in recent Tests.


Jackson Bird
Lower back problems curtailed Bird's stunning rise to Test cricket when he starred in two of Australia's three Tests against Sri Lanka in the summer.

Eleven wickets in four innings at an average of 16.18 proved a very promising start after getting his Baggy Green, and Bird will hope to build on his performances which have seen him likened to Glenn McGrath.


Ed Cowan
Ed Cowan regularly made starts as opener in the India series but failed to truly capitalise. Just the one half-century in the sub-continent does not attest to the quality of strokeplay in making a handful of scores in the 30s and 40s, but he was trapped lbw on six occasions on the spinning sub-continent decks.

Australia will be looking to Cowan to push on and convert his double-figure scores into fifties, and his half-tons into big knocks if the tourists are to get anything out of the away Ashes series.


James Faulkner
The bowling all-rounder has starred for Tasmania at Sheffield Shield level, earning man-of-the-match honours in the Tigers' Shield final win over Queensland. He averages 22.34 with the ball in first-class cricket, while chipping in with eight ODI wickets at a sub-30 average.

Faulkner's primary task if selected will be for his left-arm swing which has proven lethal on the England-like Bellerive Oval pitch. His 29.11 first-class batting average suggests he may contribute handy runs lower down the order.


Ryan Harris
A devastating addition to the pace line-up when fit. Has taken 47 wickets for Australia in 12 Tests, averaging 23.63, but has struggled with a host of injury problems lately.

Harris starred with the ball for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield, nearly producing an unlikely win for the Bulls in the final with a 7 for 139 match performance.


Phil Hughes
Hughes looked like a number-three batsman with a renewed confidence in himself in the summer series against New Zealand. But a disastrous India tour saw the batsman make just one half-century and two other scores in double digits as he struggled against the Indian spinners.

He remains on the hunt for a first Test ton in two years, and is another batsman who must begin converting starts into big scores. Hughes will have to mentally recover from the punishment he copped in India where he made just 147 runs in eight innings, averaging 18.38.


Usman Khawaja
Khawaja made his Test debut against England in the fifth Test of the 2010-11 Ashes series as a replacement for the injured Ricky Ponting. That year he played six Tests with a total of 263 runs and was widely expected to be the next big thing for Australian batting.

But the Pakistan-born left-hander has not played in a Test since so his inclusion will come as a surprise and possibly a concern to many. Having spent the last few years of his career as a peripheral player, he comes into the squad with a lack of top-level cricket last summer, having spent much of his time as a travelling reserve.


Nathan Lyon
As Australia's primary spinning option, Lyon will go toe-to-toe with England's Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar. The English duo enjoyed stunning returns on the sub-continent in 2012, with Swann and Panesar taking 20 and 17 wickets respectively.

Lyon in contrast struggled at times against India and was dropped for the second Test. He found some form in the fourth Delhi Test, taking 7 for 94 and 2 for 71 in an improved performance.

He tends to perform best when the pace attack around him chips in, and will be hoping the quicks can soften up England's batsmen for him to mop up.


James Pattinson
Struggled in India after claiming a five-wicket haul in Chennai as spinners dominated the series. His performances on Australian pitches are much more encouraging and he will look to hit the bat hard in England.

Injuries curtailed much of Pattinson's Australian summer and he featured in just two Tests against South Africa - snaring five wickets - before the India tour.


Chris Rogers
Rogers makes a stunning recall to the Test squad, having played in a solitary match against India in 2008, which Australia lost by 72 runs.

He made 19 runs in that Test, but his form in first-class cricket has earned him a recall, enjoying very decent form for both Victoria and Middlesex.


Peter Siddle
Siddle enjoyed a productive Australian summer, snaring 24 wickets and managing a five-wicket haul against India in Mohali. He averages 30 with the ball in England and will look to hold the pace-attack together with his aggressive seamers.

Siddle was one of the shining lights with the bat for Australia in the fourth Test against India, scoring two half-tons in the same match. His promise as a batsman has always been evident and he will look to make crucial contributions for the Australian tail.


Mitchell Starc
Has picked up just six wickets in three Tests in 2013, two of which were played on spin-friendly wickets. But his ability to swing and seam the ball means Starc is a serious selection chance for the Ashes series on English pitches offering plenty of movement.

His 99 and 35 in Mohali also showed enormous potential to become a genuine all-rounder, and he will be looking to notch up another handful of half-tons to help the Australian tail wag.


Matthew Wade
Wicket-keeper Wade had a terrible time on the Indian wickets. He made one fifty in the series, with his next highest score being 19 in his side's second innings of the fourth Test.

It is not a batting record that demands selection and he looks to have lost his place in the side following Brad Haddin's vice-captaincy appointment. His glove technique has also come into question with a few dropped catches and missed stumpings blotting his 2012-13 copybook.


David Warner
Big-hitting opener Warner endured a mediocre tour of India, making just two half-tons and four single-digit scores in the series. When he gets his eye in there are few in the world who can match his lethal hitting, but his three Test centuries in 34 innings has failed to convince some on his long-game temperament.

He averages just under 50 when playing on home soil, but just 26.14 in his seven Tests played overseas. His concentration will need to improve on the swinging English conditions.


Shane Watson
Watson will be looking to focus purely on his duties as a player instead of a leader after relinquishing the vice-captaincy. His batting record in England makes for unimpressive reading, averaging just 33.77 with a high score of 62.

Hopes of improving on that are low after a sorry tour of India which saw him miss the third Test following the team homework affair. At series end, he had scored just 99 runs from six innings.

His role as a bowler remains a mystery, having not bowled a ball in India as he looks to reduce his workload following a recent calf injury. On his day he can skittle teams single-handedly like he did against South Africa in 2011, but his bowling fitness remains an issue.


http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-24/australia-unveils-ashes-squad/4647200