Martyn ready for vital Windies test

PERTH - Damien Martyn faces a potentially vital confrontation with the West Indies today but the West Australian said he wasn't feeling any extra pressure as he battled for a Test berth.

Martyn said he would eventually retire "happy" even if his Test cricket renaissance ended before the five-match series against the Windies began on November 23.

Martyn waited six years between Tests before he squeezed back into the Australian team in New Zealand in March when he cashed in on the absence of injured batsman Ricky Ponting.

But he now most likely faces a battle with veteran Mark Waugh for selection after Ponting demanded automatic re-inclusion with yet another century for Tasmania yesterday.

Martyn, who will today feature in a strong Warriors team for the four-day game against the West Indies, said he no longer wasted time worrying about his future.

"You do worry about it when you're young - you probably worry about the game too much," Martyn said.

"I could worry about it and if I don't get picked I could say I've got to do this or that. But at the moment I feel I'm hitting the ball well.

"I'm in good form and you can only fit 11 guys in the Test side but if I've played my last Test or there's more to come I'm happy I've proved to people that I can get back there and play."

Martyn and the Warriors will get the first look at the new Caribbean pacemen who face a test to shape up on the demanding Australian tour.

Windies selectors have rested frontmen Courtney Walsh and Nixon McLean, preferring to unveil the likes of Marlon Black, Colin Stuart and Kerry Jeremy for the first time in Australia.

Tour manager Ricky Skerritt said selectors wanted to expose their 16-man squad before the first Test, leaving the likes of Walsh, McLean and star batsman Brian Lara to play in the final lead-up match against Victoria late next week.

Skerritt said the Windies were free of injury after they opened the tour with a promising performance against the ACB Chairman's XI at Lilac Hill two days ago.

Lara and Sherwin Campbell scored centuries in the rain-ruined match to give the Windies the perfect start to the most daunting tour in world cricket.

Western Australia: Tom Moody (capt), Mike Hussey, Ryan Campbell, Justin Langer, Damien Martyn, Simon Katich, Adam Gilchrist, Brendon Julian, Matthew Nicholson, Brad Williams, Brad Hogg, Gavin Swan (12th man to be named).

West Indies: Jimmy Adams (capt), Sherwin Campbell, Daren Ganga, Wavell Hinds, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Courtney Browne, Mervyn Dillon, Kerry Jeremy, Marlon Black, Colin Stuart, Mahendra Nagamootoo (12th man).