Daily Cricket News

Ferguson, Khawaja may earn Ashes cap

Adelaide: Batsmen Callum Ferguson and Usman Khawaja have a chance to press their claim for inclusion in the Australian Test squad for the Ashes series against England after being named in the Australia A team to play the tourists.

Chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said Ferguson, 25, and Khawaja, 23, remained in contention for selection for the first Ashes Test starting in Brisbane on November 25.

Hilditch said the Australian selectors were "pretty close" to settling on their test squad, but several batsmen in the Australia A team retained selection hopes.

Australia A and England will meet at Hobart's Bellerive Oval from November 17-20 as the tourists fine tune their first test preparation.

"A lot of the batters have already got international experience, some of them with test experience already, so they are certainly very much in the mix," Hilditch said. "We are obviously not picking the Ashes squad until next Monday so exactly which ones will feature, we won't know until then."

Former test opener Phil Hughes was also named in the Australia A side, which will be captained by Cameron White.

Hilditch said selectors would be prepared to name an uncapped player their first Test squad.

"I am not sure if we are going to do that on this occasion, we'll have to wait for the announcements," he said. "But you have got to trust your domestic competition to have players ready to play international cricket."