da stake casino： Steve Waugh has only days to tell national selectors whether he wants tocontinue his Test career in the Caribbean next month.
AAP12-Mar-2003Steve Waugh has only days to tell national selectors whether he wants tocontinue his Test career in the Caribbean next month.The selection panel must know by Sunday, with a likely phone hook-uplater that night to determine the 15-man squad to confront the WestIndies in four Tests.Waugh’s plans aren’t known and he again brushed off questions at a pressconference on Tuesday ahead of Friday’s Pura Cup final betweenQueensland and Waugh’s NSW at the Gabba.”No comment. I’m here to talk about the NSW game,” Waugh toldjournalists.Blues coach Steve Rixon wants Waugh to play in the Caribbean after the37-year-old unleashed three centuries for NSW in the last five weeks.”He’s in sensational form and he would be a blessing to have in any oneof those sides over there in the one-day comp right now [World Cup] and,more importantly, any four-day side or any five-day side,” Rixon said.”He’s going to continue to do the business … it’s really whetherStephen himself wants to go on and no one really knows that.”National selector Trevor Hohns said he would speak with Waugh inBrisbane later this week, with the captain’s future to affect themake-up of the squad.If Waugh plays on for Australia, the race for a reserve batting spotwill become even tighter with rising NSW star Michael Clarke furtherenhancing his claims.Clarke and Queensland pair Martin Love and Ashley Noffke can boost theirclaims during the Pura Cup final, although Hohns expected most of theselection issues were already settled.”I would hate to say that there is a lot hinging on this match,” Hohnssaid today.”There are a few blokes on show who are a realistic chance.”In our minds, we have most of the squad already down and it’s a matterof checking the form of some players this weekend.”Noffke has plenty to gain if he can skittle the Blues again afterbarging through their top order at the SCG last Friday.He could nudge West Australian Brad Williams out of a bowling spot aftertaking 35 wickets at an average of 20.74 for Queensland this season.The 15-man squad enables selectors room to move because they will notnecessarily add a reserve wicketkeeper.A back-up gloveman could be added later in the month as a 16th playeronce selectors spoke with vice-captain Adam Gilchrist about hisworkload.Selectors have used a tour berth in the past to give experience to ayounger player, with Shane Watson and Nathan Hauritz taken on tour lastyear.”We really have scope to do a lot of things in a squad of 15,” Hohnssaid.”It gives us the option to take an extra fast bowler and we’ll waituntil the World Cup is over before we talk to Adam Gilchrist about howhe’s feeling.”Hohns will receive reports on the fitness of South Australian quickJason Gillespie, who is hoping to recover from a heel injury before thetour squad leaves on April 1.The NSW squad will arrive in Brisbane tomorrow with Waugh insistingQueensland will miss injured veteran Stuart Law.The former skipper was ruled out today with a wrist injury while injuredplayers Joe Dawes (back) and Lee Carseldine (back) were included in apredictable 12-man squad.If Dawes and Carseldine prove their fitness, Queensland’s 12th manduties will probably fall to left-arm spinner Matthew Anderson or swingbowler Adam Dale.