Hilditch says Hussey has secured his Test career, but holds out less hope for Brett Lee

November 12th, 2009 more images more imagesSYDNEY - Australian opener Simon Katich has said he expects fellow New South Wales opening partner Phillip Hughes to make a comeback to the Test squad against the West Indies, and a push down the order for current opener Shane Watson. Katich, who is preparing for the first Test against the West Indies to be played in Brisbane later this month, believes that Hughes has benefited from the experience of being dumped and will make his comeback count, both in the short and long term.

October 27th, 2009 SYDNEY - The chairman of the Australian cricket selection committee, Andrew Hilditch, has given New South Wales opener Phillip Hughes hope about making a comeback to the Test squad for the Australian summer series against the West Indies. Hughes returned to Sydney yesterday to be told that Hilditch had informed incumbent Test opener Shane Watson to be prepared to bat anywhere in the top six against the West Indies next month.

October 9th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Callum Ferguson and Nathan Bracken have been omitted, due to injuries, from the 15-member squad for the seven-match One-day series against India. Announcing the team here Friday, national selection panel chairman Andrew Hilditch said that Clarke is continuing his rehabilitation from back soreness while wicket-keeper Brad Haddin continues his recovery after a finger surgery.

August 27th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Cricket Australia's embattled chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch has said that he is pleased with the selection decisions made in the Ashes series and says he has no plans to retire. "As far as the selection processes are concerned, we had a really good Ashes, generally speaking," Hilditch said yesterday.

August 25th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Chairman of Australian selectors, Andrew Hilditch, has rejected criticism for not playing spinner Nathan Hauritz in the fifth Ashes Test, and said that Australia lost the Test because they got 160 in the first innings. Hilditch admitted that his panel was "gutted" by Australia's 2-1 Ashes loss to England.

August 22nd, 2009 MELBOURNE - Despite being sidelined for the entire Ashes series due to injuries, fast bowler Brett Lee has found a place in the 15-member Australian squad for the Champions Trophy in South Africa from Sep 22. Cricket Australia (CA) national selection panel's chairman Andrew Hilditch said the selectors decided to pick a squad which is similar to the Ashes team.

August 22nd, 2009 MELBOURNE - Nine of the players currently playing in the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval, have been included in Australia's 15-man squad for next month's Champion's Trophy to be played in South Africa. The national selection panel has resisted the temptation to blood some exciting youngsters.

August 17th, 2009 CANTEBURY - Australian middle order batsman Michael Hussey has admitted there is pressure on his place in the Test team, but is confident of crossing a fine line between a reasonable and match-winning total in the fifth Test match at The Oval. The tenacious middle-order batsman has experienced two substantially lean years compared to his emphatic arrival on the scene in 2005, and his Ashes form has been far below par.

August 16th, 2009 LONDON - Out of form Australian batsman Michael Hussey has warned England's rookie batsman Jonathan Trott that he will face a "stern examination" in the fifth and final Ashes Tests to be played at The Oval from next Thursday. "It's a huge step up, particularly for Ashes cricket.

August 15th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Former Australian batting greats Dean Jones and Mark Waugh feel that Mike Hussey is under immense pressure to save his place in the side. They feel that Hussey's Test batting average has more than halved in the past two seasons and was under threat to hold his position heading into the home summer, although both said he had the tools to climb out of the hole.

August 11th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Australia has named Victorian leftarmer Dirk Nannes in its Twenty20 squad to play England only months after he represented the Netherlands at the world T20 tournament. The inclusion of 33-year-old Nannes and resting of captain Ricky Ponting are the main surprises in the national squads named on Tuesday for the seven one-day international matches and two T20 matches which follow the current Ashes series in England.

July 11th, 2009 MELBOURNE - England's fast bowler James Anderson has admitted that they are trying to target Mike Hussey during this Ashes series. Hussey's 150 against the England Lions in Worcester last week seemed a distant memory after Anderson extended the left-hander's lean Test run in Cardiff on Friday.

July 4th, 2009 WORCESTER - Australia's national cricket selection committee has admitted it may have mismanaged the veteran pacer Brett Lee after his difficult marriage break-up last year. Selection committee chairman Andrew Hilditch now says that perhaps Lee should not have been sent to India last October with so little preparation as a result of his personal problems.

June 25th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Australia's chief selector Andrew Hilditch is at the centre of another controversy, with no selector being present to watch a pre-Ashes "bowl-off". No selector was there to watch comeback pacers Brett Lee and Stuart Clark waiting to make their bids for Ashes spots in the four-day match against county side Sussex.

June 21st, 2009 MELBOURNE - At 34, Australian batsman Michael Hussey is well aware of his shelf life and wants to play all the three versions of cricket despite the relentless international programme taking a huge toll on his body. As he prepares for his first Ashes series in England, the Australian wants to atone for a late start in international cricket.