Ashes heat rises for North, Hussey

Australian coach Tim Nielsen has turned up the Ashes heat on Marcus North and Mike Hussey after both bombed with the bat on Sunday.

Hussey made a golden duck and North just 10 for Western Australia, both falling to an innocuous South Australian spinner in the Sheffield Shield match in Adelaide.

The failings were starker given a day earlier the pair, who are fighting to retain their Test spots, watched emerging SA batsman Callum Ferguson craft a sparkling century.

Nielsen said 25-year-old Ferguson was a “big chance” to make Australia’s Test side for the Ashes series opener against England in Brisbane starting November 25.

“I think he’s a big chance, runs do the talking, don’t they?” Nielsen told reporters in Perth.

Hussey smacked a wide half-tracker from SA slowman Aaron O’Brien to cover and was caught, first ball.

“It would be nice for him to get some runs, but we can’t panic too much,” Nielsen said.

“That (a golden duck) is going to happen in the game of cricket.

“… The thing for Huss would be to get a couple of really big scores to confirm in his mind that he’s back in form.”

North, considered the batsman most likely to lose his Test berth, fared little better.

The WA captain was dropped before scoring, then bowled 10 runs later when missing an ungainly attempted drive from O’Brien’s bowling.

North said he and Hussey were angered at their soft dismissals.

“We have got another opportunity to bat all day tomorrow … tomorrow is a new day and we have got to lead from the front, me and Huss, we have got to bat well,” North said.

Nielsen said North, who has made five tons from 19 Tests but averages under 38, needed to demonstrate consistency at Test level.

“There’s been a lot of talk about Marcus North, for example. He’s made five Test match hundreds now – there is a lot of blokes that play 50 Test matches and don’t make five Test match hundreds,” Nielsen said.

“Every chance these players get is another chance for them to push their own cause for being in that (Test) side.

“Marcus is coming off a Test match hundred, he played really well in the one-day game against Victoria.

“That’s one of the things in his favour, when he goes back to the domestic level he plays well and shows that he plays well.

“The challenge for us and for him is to show he can be consistent at that top level.”

NSW contender Usman Khawaja made 60 against Queensland on the opening day of a shield match at the Gabba on Sunday while Phil Hughes (five) and Phil Jaques (three) both failed.

Ferguson, whose timely ton was watched by national selector Greg Chappell, seemingly jumped those candidates in the queue for a Test berth.

“I think he’s done a tremendous job,” Nielsen said of Ferguson, who until Saturday had not batted in a first class game for 15 months due to a knee reconstruction.

“He’s gone from strength to strength over the last couple of years.

“He had a really breakthrough season two years ago then unfortunately hurt his knee.

“He’s come back from injury and made runs whenever he’s been given the opportunity.”