In the form of his life and with a potential whitewash looming against India, Australian fast bowler Peter Siddle has no wish to become a victim of any rotation policy.
One of Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus, Ryan Harris and Mitchell Starc - the four-pronged pace attack that decimated India in two-and-a-half days on the bouncy WACA deck in the third Test - will need to make way for the return of spinner Nathan Lyon for the fourth and final Test at the Adelaide Oval next week.
Siddle knows he is likely to get the tap on the shoulder at some stage, especially as he is the only Australian speedster to have played in each of the last eight Tests since being dropped during last year's tour of Sri Lanka.
But he doesn't want it to be now, at the tail end of a series against India where he has claimed an impressive 17 scalps at 19.58.
It shapes as a very tough call for John Inverarity's selection panel, with a rejuvenated Hilfenhaus boasting 23 wickets at 16 against India, Ryan Harris back fit and firing and left-armer Mitchell Starc providing welcome variety.
And Starc did his chances of retention in the Test side no harm with a match-winning haul of 3 for 29 in the Sydney Sixers' BBL win over the Scorchers on Wednesday.
"Any opportunity to play for Australia is a great honour and I definitely don't want to give my spot up to anyone else and let them have the opportunity," Siddle said on Thursday.
"I want to play (in Adelaide).
"But we'll have to see what happens in the future - whether it's the one-dayers, in the West Indies, that sort of thing.
"We'll have the discussions, but my thoughts are definitely to play."
With tyros James Pattinson and Patrick Cummins both sidelined with foot stress fractures, Cricket Australia is mindful of the need not to grind its fast bowlers into the turf.
The upcoming triangular one-day series involving India and Sri Lanka provides another opportunity for CA to share the bowling workload.
"That could be the case," acknowledged Siddle.
"At the moment we've got a few injuries so hopefully I do get my opportunity to get back in there and have a crack - obviously I want to.
"But I guess those boys will be coming back at the same time so there might be a time that they can have a look at a few of us and give us a bit of a rest and get a few different blokes in there."
Siddle and Hilfenhaus have been two clear beneficiaries of the appointment of former Test spearhead Craig McDermott as the Australian bowling coach.
According to the Victorian, there's no secret to McDermott's success.
"Obviously he played a lot of Test cricket and took a lot of wickets himself and just that knowledge on how to get batsmen out, how to go about it in different conditions has helped tremendously," he said.
"He hasn't done a lot with our actions or the technical side of things - it's all about what you've got is what you've got and to use that."
India have been unable to extend any of the first three Tests beyond four days, with pressure mounting on their ageing batting line-up.
They will also be without skipper MS Dhoni for the final Test starting on Tuesday after he received a one-match suspension for presiding over a slow over rate in Perth.
AAP
Tags: cricket, sport, melbourne-3000, sa, adelaide-5000 First posted January 19, 2012 16:39:57
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