Tasmania turn back to Cox for finals guidance

The experience of Jamie Cox, the former captain, has won him a surprise place in Tasmania's squad for the ING Cup final against Queensland at the Gabba on Sunday. Tasmania, whose only domestic trophy is the 1978-79 Gillette Cup, have named Cox as 13th man in a bid to settle the side's nerves.

Cox played the last of his 75 one-day games for Tasmania in 2003, but has been in excellent form in the 2nd XI Cricket Australia Cup, including scoring 162 in the current match against Western Australia. "He will bring invaluable leadership and experience to the dressing-room and support for the younger less experienced players," a Tasmania Cricket spokesman said. Cox, who averaged 46 in the County Championship for Somerset last winter, is the only change to the side that lost to South Australia last Sunday.

Queensland's disrupted run into the ING Cup final did not stabilise with the naming of their 12-man squad on Tuesday. The Bulls, who were thrashed in their past two matches, decided against risking the injured Martin Love and Shane Watson while Lachlan Stevens remained under a cloud with a calf problem.

Love is still recovering from split hand webbing and Watson was ruled out of Australia's one-day squad with a side strain, which pushed James Hopes into the New Zealand tour party. Michael Kasprowicz and Hopes will both be missing from the side that lost by 57 runs to Western Australia on Friday, and the batsmen Aaron Nye and Daniel Payne have come into the squad.

Nye has played five games this season while Payne was 12th man against Tasmania in December. Stevens, the allrounder, collected 0 for 14 and 8 on his Queensland debut against the Warriors, and is not expected to train with the team until tomorrow.

Queensland Jimmy Maher (capt), Lachlan Stevens, Clinton Perren, Craig Philipson, Aaron Nye, Brendan Nash, Wade Seccombe (wk), Andy Bichel, Ashley Noffke, Nathan Hauritz, Mitchell Johnson, Daniel Payne.

Tasmania Daniel Marsh (capt), Michael Di Venuto, George Bailey, Michael Bevan, Travis Birt, Luke Butterworth, Jamie Cox, Michael Dighton (wk), Xavier Doherty, Brett Geeves, Adam Griffith, Scott Kremerskothen, Damien Wright.