SYDNEY: Injured captain Michael Clarke has been named in Australia’s Test and one-day squads for next month’s series against Pakistan but remains a doubt to be fit for the start of the tour in the United Arab Emirates.

Australia’s top batsman, Clarke flew home from Zimbabwe last week after aggravating his left hamstring during a One-day International tournament and has not been cleared to play in the two-Test series and three ODIs.

Australia’s selectors are clearly hedging their bets of a recovery, however, and named Clarke captain of the 15-man squad for the Tests and also skipper of the 14-member ODI squad released on Monday.

Batsman Aaron Finch has been appointed Australia’s new Twenty20 captain for the tour, replacing George Bailey who stepped down on Sunday to concentrate on his one-day career.

After a one-off Twenty20 match on Oct 5, Australia play Pakistan in the three one-dayers over the following week before the first Test starts Oct 22 in Dubai. The second starts Oct 30 in Abu Dhabi.

“No. Not confident,” selector Rod Marsh told a media conference here on Monday when asked of Clarke’s chances to be fit for the first Test. “You can’t be confident about Michael but I’ll tell you what, he hasn’t missed one in however many he’s played, over 100.

“He’s got a great track record of getting up for Tests. I’m sure he’ll be right because there’s no more dedicated bloke in getting his rehab in than Michael.

“He will not want to miss any Test matches, even if that means he has to miss some one-dayers and I’m not suggesting that.”

STEVE O’Keefe ... bolsters spin department

All-rounder Shane Watson has been named in all three Test, one-day and T20 squads, after missing the one-day tournament against Zimbabwe and South Africa, having rolled an ankle when he stepped on a ball at training.

Top-order batsman David Warner, who was rested from the Zimbabwe tour, has also been recalled in all three squads.

Selectors have included uncapped duo of left-arm orthodox spinner Steve O’Keefe and all-rounder Mitchell Marsh in the Test squad. Among other notable selections were all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and the return of batsman Phil Hughes.

Pakistan struggled last month against another left-arm spinner in Sri Lanka’s Rangana Herath, who took 23 wickets in the home series, a record for a two-Test series.

“Pakistan haven’t had a great record against left-arm orthodox spinners,” Marsh told reporters. “Herath is not a big turner of the ball; Stephen O’Keefe’s not a big turner of the ball. They both rely on accuracy rather than huge amounts of turn... That’s another reason he was chosen.”

O’Keefe, 29, was one of three spinners included for a tour expected to be played on slow pitches, and could be the 14th spinner to feature in Tests for Australia since the retirement of Shane Warne in 2007.

O’Keefe has been long overlooked by Test selectors despite success at domestic first-class level and topped the Sheffield Shield’s wicket tally last season with 41 at 20.43.

Incumbent off-spinner Nathan Lyon, who has taken 112 wickets in 33 Tests at 32.99, is expected to be the front-line spinner during the tour with Maxwell offering support.

SEAN Abbott ... surprise inclusion in ODI and Twenty20 squads

Marsh, 22, younger brother of Test batsman Shaun Marsh, gets his chance following an explosive unbeaten 86 off 69 balls with seven sixes in a one-dayer against South Africa in Harare this month.

“Mitch Marsh is a player of immense talent and is a bright prospect for the future of Australian cricket,” Rod Marsh said.

Selectors named only three fast-bowlers — Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc and Peter Siddle — in the Test squad for the anticipated spin-friendly pitches.

Hughes, who has been in and out of the Australian team during his 26-Test career and will vie with incumbent Alex Doolan for the No 3 spot, would travel to the UAE earlier than his team-mates to spend time working on his batting against spin with the team’s coaching consultant, former Sri Lanka Test bowler Muttiah Muralitharan.

Selectors have also named uncapped New South Wales fast bowler Sean Abbott in both the one-day and T20 squads, with exciting young paceman Pat Cummins named in the T20 squad and set for his first international cricket in two years following a serious back injury.

Squads:

Test: Michael Clarke (captain), Alex Doolan, Phil Hughes, Brad Haddin, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve O’Keefe, Mitchell Johnson, Chris Rogers, Peter Siddle, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Shane Watson.

ODI: Clarke (captain), Sean Abbott, George Bailey, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Haddin, Lyon, Marsh, Maxwell, Johnson, Smith, Starc, Warner, Watson.

Twenty20: Aaron Finch (captain), Abbott, Cameron Boyce, Pat Cummins, Faulkner, Haddin, Marsh, Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Smith, Starc, Warner, Watson.

Published in Dawn, September 9th , 2014