McGain clings to Ashes dream

The legspinner Bryce McGain retains hope of making the Ashes tour and says he still has confidence in his bowling despite his mauling on debut in South Africa. McGain, who was 37 on Wednesday, returned 0 for 149 in 18 overs at Cape Town, but said after landing in Australia he hadn't lost his ability to bowl.

"Sometimes that's the way it is, you get thrown into the fire," he told the Herald Sun. "It was a bit of a challenge. They had nothing to lose. They were 2 for 200 or whatever and they just went after it.

"The night before I slid a few past the bat, and if I'd taken an edge similar to what [Paul] Harris did to get [Phillip] Hughes, suddenly their mindset is going to be very different, but it wasn't. There wasn't much more I could do. The ball was drifting, it was turning, and they were coming down and just whacking it."

Despite his struggles, McGain said wearing the baggy green was "the most uplifting feeling I've ever experienced". "I was thinking about the whole journey when I was being presented with my cap," he said. "I certainly don't intend it to be over after just one game."

Support for McGain has come from Shane Warne, who also struggled in his opening Test before going on to a record-breaking career. "[Warne] sent me a text message to let me know he went for 150 on debut," McGain said.

"Obviously I would have liked to have performed a bit better, to have tied things down a bit better. But it was a couple of days of bowling, that's all. It doesn't mean I can't bowl. As disappointing as it was, I haven't lost my confidence."

Warne tormented England, who traditionally struggle with legspinners, and McGain is now forced into more waiting. "It's out of my hands whether I get picked or not [for the Ashes]," he said. "There is a bit of time between now and then. It depends on the selectors deciding what type of spinner they want to send."