Gilchrist warns against too much change

Adam Gilchrist has warned the Australian selectors against changing the balance of the side ahead of the First Test against New Zealand at Christchurch, starting on Thursday. The form of Australia's four pace bowlers - Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie, Michael Kasprowicz and Brett Lee - has created a difficult decision on who will miss out in the final XI.

With Matthew Hayden's shoulder injury not responding to treatment as quickly as expected a slot might open up. One school of thought is therefore to play all five bowlers - the four fast men and Shane Warne - and move Gilchrist up to six with five frontline batsmen. That would mean a middle-order batsman opening the innings, probably Simon Katich, but Gilchrist is not convinced.

"If Matthew wasn't fit we've lost one of our most experienced players, and one of the best batsmen in the world, so that is going to be a bit unsettling," he said told the AAP news agency. "We don't want to tinker with it too much if we've already got forced changes. It doesn't kill that option off but I'd be a bit wary of it. It's such an awkward position. I have no inkling which way it will go. They all warrant a spot but we all know the maths don't work."

In their last Test - against Pakistan at Sydney in January - the Australians changed the balance of their side, giving allrounder Shane Watson his debut and playing two spinners. On the tour of West Indies in 2003 they played five bowlers in all four Tests, but that was partly to compensate for the missing Warne (drugs ban) and McGrath (injury).