Harvey ready for Indian tour

MELBOURNE - Victorian allrounder Ian Harvey will be fit for Australia's one-day tour of India despite missing the Bushrangers' last Pura Cup match due to a thumb injury.

Harvey missed the first innings win over New South Wales yesterday, after getting struck on the thumb while batting in the Vics' previous game against Tasmania.

However he has been named in Australia's 14-man squad and is scheduled to travel to the sub-continent on Saturday along with the four other members of the squad already not in India - Blues' pair Nathan Bracken and Michael Bevan, Queensland all-rounder Andrew Symonds and South Australian skipper Darren Lehmann.

Victorian chairman of selectors Shaun Graf said today Harvey would not face a fitness test before leaving for India but would likely be tested before the first of Australia's five one-day matches against India in Bangalore on March 25.

"If it hadn't been such a crunch game for us or there wasn't the Indian tour straight afterwards, he could have played against New South Wales," Graf said of Harvey.

"It just wasn't worth risking him getting another knock on his thumb." However Graf said Harvey has been able to bowl in the nets without discomfort as well as hit catches in fielding drills.

"He could have run in and bowled with full pace with no problems," Graf said.

"I don't think he's got any problems in being right for India." Harvey was a key contributor with both bat and ball during the tri-series against West Indies and Zimbabwe this summer in which Australia claimed the trophy without losing a match.

His availability for India will mean he will miss Victoria's final preliminary Pura Cup match against Western Australia, starting Thursday at the MCG, as well as the final against Queensland the following week.

The venue for that final will be decided after this weekend's final round of matches with the Bulls currently four points clear of the Vics at the top of the table.