Cricket: Hughes gets chance today

Australia's batting may be forced into a reshuffle and a rethink but the bowling is in excellent shape for the second test against Pakistan today.

For the second consecutive test, opener Phillip Hughes has the chance to elbow his way back into the Australian team.

In the Boxing Day test in Melbourne, it was Ricky Ponting who was in doubt, but the captain played on despite a painful elbow injury and Hughes was sent home.

On the eve of the second test against Pakistan in Sydney, Australia's preparations were again thrown into disarray.

Opener Simon Katich failed to overcome a blow to the elbow he suffered while batting in Australia's 170-run win in the Melbourne test.

Hughes, due to play in a Twenty20 match for New South Wales against Victoria at the MCG yesterday, was rushed back to Sydney as a standby player. Boasting an average of 52.44 in five tests since making his debut in South Africa in February 2009, Hughes was considered by many to be harshly treated when dumped after the second test of the Ashes series.

Last month, when named as a standby player for the Melbourne test, Hughes spoke of how Katich had inspired him to keep working hard at state level for a national recall. Katich had famously hit a Shield-record 1506 runs at an average of 94 in 2007-08 to force his way back into the test team.

"With what happened to him in the Ashes nearly four years ago, getting dropped, going back to state cricket and dominating there and getting back into the test side, he's been great for me," Hughes said. "Guys like him are the ones you look up to."

Now the 21-year-old Hughes could be getting back in at the expense of Katich, his mentor and state skipper.

Katich and Shane Watson have formed a strong opening combination since the axing of Hughes. The new pairing have shared first-wicket partnerships worth 856 runs in 12 innings at an average of 71.33. However, Hughes hit a fine 122 in front of test selector Jamie Cox while batting for NSW against Victoria in Newcastle in December and has scored 388 Shield runs at 43.11 since his test setback.

Katich batted in the nets at the SCG on Saturday but then had further treatment as Cricket Australia put out its statement.

Ponting admits he must play the short ball better in the second test. He has battled against short-pitched bowling since being struck on the arm by West Indian quick Kemar Roach in Perth last month.

The Australian skipper is regarded as one of the finest exponents of the hook and pull shots in the game's history but his batting has been restricted by his elbow complaint.

West Indian skipper Chris Gayle taunted Ponting by stating that Australia's highest test run-scorer had serious shortcomings against the short ball following their recently completed test series.

Holing out to Pakistan quick Mohammad Aamer in the second innings at the MCG last week raised questions about Ponting's handling of short-pitched bowling with his present injury.

"I'm more than happy for anybody to bowl there to me," Ponting said. "I just need to play the shot a bit better than I did last week."

But Ponting is playing at one of his happiest hunting grounds this week. Ponting's tally of 1335 test runs at 70.26 is more than any other batsman at the ground. His five test centuries at the ground is also a record.

Meanwhile, being boring worked well for Glenn McGrath but Mitchell Johnson has gone down another path. The left-armer has been the most successful test wicket-taker in 2009 with 63 victims but was wayward at times during Australia's unsuccessful Ashes defence.

However, McGrath, the game's leading pace bowler with 563 wickets in a career that ended three years ago, says fans and captains need to take the good with the bad where Johnson is concerned.

"He's got that X-factor," McGrath said at the SCG yesterday. "He's a guy that runs in and lets it go. Some days he'll go out there and just tear through teams, sometimes maybe not quite. He's not a boring bowler like I was.

"That consistency is not going to be there but he's got something very special about him and he's a wicket-taker and we've seen that, especially over the last 12 months. Whether he opens or whether he comes in first-change, I think he'll still do well."

McGrath said Johnson, Peter Siddle and Doug Bollinger, who has taken 20 wickets in just four tests, were doing a "sensational job".

"You look at our main bowlers there with Mitch Johnson and Peter Siddle, they have been playing very well of late. They are starting to do it a lot more consistently.

"Sidds, I enjoy his aggression. Dougie Bollinger is an exceptional bowler and he's getting better each time he bowls. And for Nathan Hauritz to get in there and get five wickets on a wicket that was day four, day five was great to see too."

- AAP