Hauritz gets call-up to Australia squad

Cricket: Nathan Hauritz, Brett Lee and Shaun Tait have been called up to the Australia squad for the first One-Day International…

Cricket:Nathan Hauritz, Brett Lee and Shaun Tait have been called up to the Australia squad for the first One-Day International (ODI) against England in Melbourne on Sunday.

While the trio, along with batsman David Hussey, have been given a chance to push for a World Cup spot, Callum Ferguson and Shaun Marsh have not been included.

Their omission throws into doubt whether the pair will travel to the competition in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka given the deadline for the naming of the World Cup squad is January 19th, two days before the second ODI.

In the absence of Ricky Ponting who is recovering from a finger injury suffered during the Ashes, the side will be led by Michael Clarke with Cameron White named as vice-captain.

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Hauritz was overlooked for the Ashes with selectors preferring Xavier Doherty and then Michael Beer as England meted out an emphatic 3-1 series defeat with the former also selected for Melbourne.

Tait, also part of the Twenty20 squad for this week's games in Adelaide and Melbourne, last played in an ODI in July last year in England while Lee and Hussey's most recent 50-over internationals came in October 2009 and August 2009 respectively.

Chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch gave some hope to the likes of absentees Ferguson and Marsh when he said it did not necessarily rule them out of the squad.

Hilditch said: "We've selected a very strong squad of 14 for the first ODI of what promises to be a really fiercely contested series between these two sides.

"The squad is selected for one game only in order for the National Selection Panel to look at certain players before we select the ICC Cricket World Cup squad of 15 on January 19th.

"Our one-day form has been pretty good over the last 12 months and as we build to a fourth successive tilt at the World Cup, these matches against England will not only provide us with a stern challenge but allow players to make cases for inclusion in that World Cup squad."

As for the bowlers who have been included, Hilditch added: "We have some explosive fast bowling with Shaun Tait, Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Doug Bollinger and Peter Siddle all selected in this squad.

"Shaun and Brett will therefore have an opportunity to impress in this form of the game before World Cup squad selection.

"We've included Nathan Hauritz, who has been a key part of our one-day side for some time now and Xavier Doherty in this squad, who played well against Sri Lanka at the start of the summer."

"This gives us a chance to look at both of them prior to the World Cup."

Of Hussey, Hilditch added: "We've given David Hussey the opportunity to push for inclusion in the World Cup squad as we think he will be well suited for the sub-continent conditions which will be faced in the World Cup."

Australia ODI squad (v England): M Clarke (captain), C White (vice-captain), D Bollinger, X Doherty, B Haddin, N Hauritz, D Hussey, M Hussey, M Johnson, B Lee, P Siddle, S Smith, S Tait, S Watson.