Matthew Elliott selected in Australian squad

Matthew Elliott, the Victorian opening batsman, has been recalled to the national team to fill the gap left by Ricky Ponting, who has had to drop out of the squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka because of a bereavement.

Cricket Australia announced that Elliott would be Ponting's replacement for the first Test, beginning in Darwin on Thursday. Elliott, 33, returns to the Australian team after a gap of nearly five years; he last played against West Indies at Barbados in 1999. His selection comes on the back of a run of fine form in the 2003-04 Pura Cup season, where he made 1381 runs from 11 matches at an average of 81.23.

"I'm in a bit of a spin at the moment, but I'm just really excited to have this chance to be involved with the Australian team again," said Elliott. "Even if it is for one match, it's something that I'm thrilled about, and I'm looking forward to whatever opportunity presents itself over the coming days."

Trevor Hohns, the chairman of the national selection panel, justified Elliott's selection by saying, "In this one-off situation, we felt that Matthew was the right replacement, given he has just come off a stint in the UK playing county cricket, and that has followed on from a fine summer in Australia. His form in the Pura Cup over the past few seasons has certainly turned heads."

This, however, is a selection that will raise the haunches of many cricket followers in Australia, who believe that Michael Clarke should have been selected. Clarke, although only 23, is widely regarded as the next bright batting prospect in the Australian firmament. Another player who might count himself unlucky is Martin Love, who made a century in his last Test, albeit against Bangladesh, only to subsequently lose his place in the national team.