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http://www.foxsports.com.au/cricket/australia/ed-cowan-mitchell-johnson-tim-paine-who-has-most-to-gain-from-australia-as-tour-of-england/story-fn2mcu3x-1226434777895
As a SACA fan i'm stoked to see Klinger get a chance to show what he can do at this level..
Ed Cowan, Mitchell Johnson, Tim Paine; who has most to gain from Australia A's tour of England?..
By Antony Pinshaw FOX SPORTS July 25, 2012 3:42PM
Opportunity beckons ... how will Cowan, Johnson and Paine perform for Australia A? Source: AAP
Next year's Ashes is set to be the most anticipated Test series of 2013, but another Australian tour of England could prove very decisive in determining which country takes home the coveted urn.
A mixture of young up-and-comers, current internationals and experienced domestic campaigners have been named in Australia A's squad for a tour of England that includes two matches against county sides and two 'unofficial Tests' against England Lions.
Current Australia opener David Warner proved just how beneficial 'A' tours can be, with his double-hundred for Australia A against Zimbabwe in June 2011 commonly credited with helping to secure his call-up to the Test side just a few months later.
So with the first Ashes Test less than 12 months away, we look at which players have the most to gain - whether it's to hold onto their spot or to take over someone else's - from Australia A's tour of England.
Ed Cowan
Ed Cowan's old-school style of opening has put him offside with a chunk of the cricket-watching public, but whether or not the feeling is shared by the national selection panel is unclear. After failing to convert a number of starts into decent totals on the tour of West Indies, Cowan knew he needed runs in order to protect his position in the Test team, and so embarked on a sojourn in county cricket. His lone first-class match for Gloucestershire so far has yielded a century, so it's fair to say the move had the desired effect. But hell make even more of a statement if he's able to rack up some runs for Australia A. Not only will that prove that he can turn good starts into big innings', but hell also have the chance to prove that he and David Warner are the best men to lead the Aussies' batting line-up for the 2013 Ashes in England.
Michael Klinger
In some ways, Michael Klinger is the Jamie Cox of his generation - consistently at or near the top of the domestic batting averages, but never quite deemed good enough to don the baggy green. But Klinger now has the opportunity to rectify that perception. His career first-class average of 38.16 belies the fact that since his move from Victoria to South Australia in 2008, he has accrued nearly 3000 runs over three seasons. But after missing out on national selection to the likes of younger players such as Cowan, Usman Khawaja and Shaun Marsh in recent years, selectors appear to be warming to the idea of having a dependable, experienced batsman such as Klinger prop up the batting order. Hell be keen to prove he's more than just a good state player when he faces up to a quality bowling England Lions bowling line-up featuring internationals like Jade Dernbach.
Tom Cooper
Having played with Klinger at South Australia for several years, Tom Cooper will know all too well that a couple of good seasons don't automatically convert into a national call-up. Initially Cooper shone in one-day and Twenty20 cricket, but last season he came of age as a batsman, setting the Sheffield Shield alight with several eye-catching performances that prompted Redbacks coach Darren Berry to suggest the 25-year-old wasnt far away from the Australia squad. Hes had previous success for a quasi-national team, having blasted 160 not out for the Prime Minister's XI against West Indies in 2010, but he can make a serious push for higher honours if he compiles some mature innings' in England. Often mentioned as a prospect for the future rather than the present, Cooper has the opportunity to leapfrog several of his more-experienced teammates in the race to be next in line, or failing that, to be viewed as a long-term replacement for Ricky Ponting or Mike Hussey.
Mitchell Johnson
Mitchell Johnson probably stands to gain more than any other player from this tour. His standing among Australias bowlers evaporated at a scarcely believable rate over the summer, as he went from leading Australias attack to being thought of as having played his last Test within the space of a few months. The rise of young pace bowlers such as Pat Cummins, James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc - all of whom are fellow tourists - means Johnson is well down the pecking order. However, the selectors showed he was still in the mix by picking him for this tour along with Australias ill-fated ODI series against England in June. Now he has the chance to eliminate the memories from one of his worst ever tours - the 2009 Ashes series. If he performs well and is able to get some kind of consistency back into his game, his confidence will skyrocket and he could return back to somewhere near his best. If Johnson flops, he may well condemn his name to the history books.
Tim Paine
Another who seemingly fell off the radar over the past year, gloveman Tim Paine has been forced to watch from the sidelines as Matthew Wade has gone past him as the successor to Brad Haddin. Wade has fit in fairly comfortably in the Test set-up, seemingly cementing his spot with a hundred against West Indies, although Haddin's shadow still looms large. Meanwhile, Paine has missed out on an entire year of cricket after a slower-than-expected recovery from finger surgery. There was even a time when it was feared Paine might have to pull the pin on his career. But he now has the chance to remind selectors why he earned Test selection more than two years ago, and to prove to himself more than anyone that the finger injury wont continue to cripple his batting and wicketkeeping.
Jackson Bird
Momentum is a funny thing in sport - it's hard to create, easy to lose and nigh-on impossible to replicate. Tasmania bowler Jackson Bird seemed to have a monopoly on momentum in last summer's Sheffield Shield, raking in 53 wickets at the astonishing average of 16 on his way to being named the Shields player of the year all in his debut season. But now comes the real test for the 25-year-old seamer. Does he fade into relative obscurity like so many other one-season wonders, or does he maintain the momentum despite having not pulled on the whites in over four months? Bird should feel relatively comfortable on the seaming UK pitches, with Blundstone Arena being the most English of Australian wickets, and hell look to maintain the unerring line and length that served him so well last season. If he can prove that he's more than a one-hit-wonder, hell be another to join the long line of pace bowling prospects banging on the door of Test selection.
As a SACA fan i'm stoked to see Klinger get a chance to show what he can do at this level..
