'Keepers as able as anyone to captain Test team: Gilchrist

CANBERRA - The demands of wicketkeeping should not preclude glovemen from being considered as Test cricket captains, Australian vice-captain Adam Gilchrist said today.

The outstanding wicketkeeper/batsman is to captain the Prime Minister's XI against the touring West Indies at Manuka Oval tomorrow, although he will not don the gloves for the game.

However, as the man most likely to take over from the injured Steve Waugh as stand-in Australian captain for the Adelaide Test starting on December 15, he said the busy task ahead of him was one a wicketkeeper could handle.

"I'm sure it's possible," he said.

"It's a big task for anyone to captain the Test team. It's a terrific job and there's a terrific amount of responsibility to go with it.

"Keepers traditionally haven't been tried. I'd like to think that whether you're a `keeper or a bowler or batsman or an all-rounder, you're never going to be pigeon-holed because of past traditions.

"I just think that if people think you're the right man for the job, give you a go and see what happens."

He did not see this match as a trial for captaincy of the third Test team.

"I've been asked to captain the team in this one-off game so I'll go out and enjoy it, gain a bit from the experience," he said.

"This was selected long before Steve Waugh was injured.

"I'm looking forward to it as a great opportunity to learn about captaincy and have a bit of fun."

Gilchrist, who will captain a side largely untried on the international scene, said his players were in form.

"We've got a form side - a lot of wickets amongst the bowlers and runs amongst the batsmen.

"For Australian cricket's sake we'll be trying to win to make sure we keep them down and us up."

PM's XI coach Geoff Marsh said the team had been selected to reward those players who were putting performances on the board in state-level cricket.

"It's an opportunity for some of the boys to perform in front of the selectors and put their name in the hat," the former Australian coach told AAP.

"It's a pretty hard Test team to get into at the moment and all these matches are opportunities for these boys to show themselves."

Marsh said he believed Brian Lara and other out-of-sorts Windies batsmen needed as much time in the middle as possible but had no idea of who would play.

The West Indies players did not have an official practice session today, having arrived in the early morning after the long overnight flight from Perth.

A team is not expected to be named until shortly before the match at Manuka Oval which has just undergone a $10 million revamp.

Prime Minister John Howard is to officially open the new Sir Donald Bradman Stand at the ground during the lunch adjournment.

PM's XI: Adam Gilchrist (capt), Sean Clingeleffer (Tas), Anthony McQuire (ACT), Mark Higgs (NSW), Brad Hodge (Vic), Mathew Inness (Vic), Martin Love (Qld), Jimmy Maher (Qld), Daniel Marsh (SA), Don Nash (NSW), Brett Swain (SA), Cade Brown (ACT) (12th man).