The waiting game

As the Indian media fluttered towards Australia's big names in Bangalore last week, pens poised and bulbs flashing, three individuals went unnoticed. But James Hopes, Adam Voges and Ben Hilfenhaus, the three rookies included in the seven-match Future Cup against India, hardly mind. They're just glad to be with the national side and hope to pick up as much experience as possible.

They may be here as replacements for injured players but with a few of the senior Australians in the twilight of their careers, these youngsters know there will be plenty of attention directed at them.

Hopes, an allrounder who once wanted to be a professional golfer, has played the most ODIs, 11, as against the one each by Voges and Hilfenhaus. And only Hopes featured in the first two games of the current series against India, scoring 37 from 25 balls in the washed-out opener and then taking Yuvraj Singh's wicket with his medium-pacers in the win in Kochi.

Hopes, who came up the ranks by virtue of hard work - he moved from the under-age sides to the Under-19 to the Academy to a first-class debut for Queensland in 2001 - is second only to Michael Kasprowicz in the list of Queensland's all-time one-day wicket-takers.

"I normally bat lower down the order for Australia, where you either come off or you don't," he said. "But no one really blames you. So I prefer to focus on my bowling, working out plans and areas to hit. Over in Pakistan, with the A team, I focused on my batting because I was getting more opportunities. Here I'm more of an allrounder. It's important to take the ball and work out scenarios."

For Hopes, missing the senior tour to South Africa last year was hard. "When I first got dropped from the national side, I struggled. All of a sudden I was back at the drawing board," he says. "I did get some good knocks and worked on making my way back. There was a phase when I was like, 'I really don't care. I've been there, played for Australia, so let's just see what happens.' But a time came soon when I decided to play harder and force my way back in."

That he did, with 553 runs and 21 wickets in the Pura Cup, and a season's-best 20 wickets to go with a century in the Ford Ranger Cup. "I put in the hard hours in the gym and worked on my batting with Terry Oliver [coach] and did well. So it was very pleasing to be recalled, and regaining my Cricket Australia contract."

Hopes' captain during the tour of Pakistan was Voges, who said there was plenty they learned from that series. "We batted well and we got a taste of the conditions. We didn't do that well but captaining was a learning experience for me. For people like James and myself, being out there was good leading into this tour. Playing in those conditions, in the heat and humidity, batting against those players, it will definitely help us here."

Much has been expected from Voges since his maiden one-day century in 2004-05, from just 62 deliveries, which was then the fastest in Australia's domestic history. Earlier in his career with Western Australia he had to work hard to break into a top order that contained Michael Hussey, Marcus North and Murray Goodwin - much the sort of problem he faces in India as a replacement. He has not gotten a game so far, and with Ricky Ponting set to return for the third one-day international in Hyderabad, Voges' chances of adding to his one ODI cap seem slim. He isn't complaining, though. "It's great that I'm over here, even though it came due to a couple injuries," he says. "There's so much to learn being around the senior players. I'm very motivated that way."

After Damien Martyn unexpectedly called it quits during the last Ashes series, Voges was called up to the squad for the third Test, at his home ground, the WACA. He had to wait two months after that for his ODI debutin the Chappell-Hadlee Series, where he scored an unbeaten 16 from ten balls to finish the innings. On the Pakistan A tour he was leading run-scorer in the ODI series, making 133 at 44.33. "Personally it was good, yes," he said. "Being out there for three and a half weeks was helpful. We trained hard and we put in our best, I feel."

Mature beyond his years, Voges says he has no issues captaining and batting. He's okay with the pressure that crops up; the key is that he understands his own game. Motivation, he adds, is not a problem, and motivating his players wasn't either. "The guys were great. They all knew exactly what they were out there for and that made my job easier."

The third aspirant is a tall pace bowler who put away his brick-laying duties in Ulverstone, northern Tasmania, to play for Australia. The inclusion of Hilfenhaus, 24, is important for Tasmanian cricket which, before David Boon and Ricky Ponting came onto the scene, had been virtually unheard of. Only the second pace bowler to come from the state, Hilfenhaus, a swing bowler who operates around the 140kph mark is Shaun Tait's replacement for the series.

He earned his place after impressing with 60 Pura Cup wickets for Tasmania last season and played an ODI and Twenty20 apiece in January this year. He didn't get a game at the World Twenty but impressed in a warm-up game against New Zealand, taking 3 for 11 from three overs in a four-wicket win.

Swing, says Hilfenhaus, is all he has ever known how to do. "Some people are born with a gift, like being able to bat, or bowl fast, but I guess I'm someone who's able to swing the ball," he says. "It's what I was given, so I've just got to use it. I've always been able to swing the ball and now I just have to maintain it and get a bit of variety to go with it. I've worked at it as long as I can remember."

Though Indian surfaces are a far cry from those he bowls on back home, Hilfenhaus isn't too worried about changing what he does. "We haven't put in any particular practice as such. I suppose every different place has its own surfaces and you've just got to see what they bring out. All I can do is bowl accordingly. I don't have any plan as such but I'm ready for whatever." While some pace bowlers have a marked preference for either the red ball or the white, Hilfenhaus says he is able to control swing with both. "I find the white ball doesn't swing as long as the red, but I just rely on a bit of swing and see how it goes," he says.

With Brett Lee, Stuart Clark and Mitchell Johnson leading Australia's pace attack, Hilfenhaus finds himself at No. 4 in the pecking order. "All I can do is give 110 per cent , do my best, and put up solid performances. Playing here in India, packed crowds and all, is an outstanding feeling. Hopefully it can happen.

"There are so many great bowlers going around the country, so all I can try and do is learn and wait for an opportunity."Having said which, he regrets that he didn't get to interact much with the great Glenn McGrath who was on his way out of the game as Hilfenhaus made his way in.

This tour is a learning process for him, Hopes and Voges. The more they absorb, the better they prepare for the big time. They certainly won't mind if the media clamours for them the next time they're in India.