McGrath names his England bunnies

Glenn McGrath's ritual selection of his opposition targets has begun with him choosing Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss as this summer's bunnies. Over the past decade McGrath has regularly announced his target - Michael Vaughan was collected twice in three Tests last year and Michael Atherton was a regular loser in head-to-head battles - and it has become a mark of respect as well as a clichéd game.

Vaughan, who had his fourth bout of knee surgery last month, is expected to miss the five-match series so McGrath told 2KY radio he had adjusted his sights. "There's a few new guys that are coming," he said. "There's the young fellow Cook, who's done well so far.

"He's one of many, there's no use naming one [bunny], these days you name two or three. You always name the captain." Strauss has taken over the England side for the Pakistan series after injuries to Vaughan and Andrew Flintoff while Cook is playing his first year of Test cricket, posting back-to-back centuries in the opening two Tests of the current contest.

The announcement five months before the series is another sign that McGrath is feeling confident he will be ready for the Ashes despite spending the first half of the year caring for his sick wife Jane. McGrath worked with Troy Cooley, the new Australia bowling coach, in Brisbane last week and was pleased with his progress.

"It felt great," he told the station. "To have six months off and to go up there and feel that good, it doesn't take long to feel like you haven't had a break. It will take a little while to build it up, but I'm probably in front of where I thought I would be."

McGrath is waiting for news of his first playing assignment, with international tours of India for the Champions Trophy and a mini-tournament in Singapore and Malaysia competing with a domestic campaign for New South Wales. "I guess the selectors are meeting later this week and I will have a chat to them before that," he said. "There's that pre-ICC tour coming up to KL [Kuala Lumpur], which is out of season - there's nothing here in Australia - so that might be a good hit-out to see how things are going and to give the selectors a bit more of an idea of where I am at."