aussies follow english blueprint

Watson - Australia's Flintoff?

By Dave Tickner

Australia have named their squad for the first Ashes Test, and they've paid England a huge compliment.

Because it looks like the Aussies are going to employ the exact same blueprint that took England to victory last summer; five batsman, all-rounder, keeper, spinner, three quicks.

For me, the inclusion of Shane Watson in the Flintoff role is the most significant selection of the series.

I still expect a tight series, and it could come down to the number of runs scored by the all-rounders and keepers. Flintoff should get more than Watson, Adam Gilchrist should get more than Geraint Jones, but partnerships between those pairs could prove decisive, just as it did at Trent Bridge last summer.

It's perhaps surprising to see both Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson in the squad with no place for Stuart MacGill, but it's undoubtedly a bold and attacking move by Australia, and I hope one of them gets the nod over the reliable but uninspiring Stuart Clark.

I expect Clark and Tait to be the two omitted from the final XI, with left-armer Johnson creating a nicely rounded attack alongside Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Shane Warne.

After claim and counter-claim and a seemingly endless build-up, both teams appear close to settling on their final XIs. The real business starts here.

Bring it on.