New Men of Summer

Australia A tours of the past decade have usually been reconnaissance for future national team trips and a chance to give fringe players a back-slap of recognition as they treaded water behind first-choice line-ups. The current five-match experience in Pakistan was initially meant to follow a similar path as Australia are due to tour there in 2007-08.

However, following the Ashes loss the back-up experiment has turned into a genuine tussle for the section panel's attention. A phrase similar to "player X was thrust into the Test side after a strong performances for the A team" was as rare in the past as Mr T's BA Baracus leaving the house without jewellery. While most of the current side has it on the resume - Shane Warne went to Zimbabwe in 1991; Justin Langer, Simon Katich and Michael Clarke earned a pre-World Cup visit to South Africa - the journey is not essential to building an international reputation.

This time the circumstances are different after some older wood was lopped on Tuesday for a couple of saplings. The appearance of Trevor Hohns, the chairman of selectors, in Pakistan shows how much attention is being paid to generation next as he plans for the World Cup and beyond. James Hopes, who scored 146 as an opener in the second four-day game this week, was immediately rewarded with a berth in the one-day squad for the Super Series while Brad Hodge and Shane Watson were picked for the Super Test.

Hopes has enjoyed an excellent 12 months that included being named the ING Cup Player of the Year and making his ODI debut on the tour to New Zealand. A decorated junior player and handy golfer, he discovered in his early years that performing consistently at state level was much more difficult, and before the start of last season was unsure if he would hold his Queensland place with the return of Watson from Tasmania.

The two allrounders have shown they can play in the same side and will shortly line up for the national outfit in the three-match Super Series at Melbourne. Hopes, a nippy medium pacer who moves the ball regularly, is a batsman versatile enough to scamper runs in the late one-day overs or make sizeable contributions as an opener in either form of the game.

While his first-class record is not outstanding - he averages 28.37 with the bat and 46.75 with the ball - Hopes' figures in domestic limited-overs games are more impressive. At 26 he has, like Watson, time to strengthen both bows. Hohns has been convinced and Hopes can expect a summer of opportunity.

"We are looking to include players who can bat, bowl and field and Hopes fits that bill perfectly," Hohns said when the Super Series squads were announced. "He stood out over summer and we are confident that he can add a new dimension to the team."

As Australia's search for an allrounder becomes more specific, the team is also waiting for middle-order spots to be cemented and Matthew Hayden's opening role will also be monitored closely. Mike Hussey's name was regularly raised during Hayden's recent slump and England fans cannot understand why he was not an automatic pick after averaging more than 70 in the County Championship for four of the past five seasons.

Hussey's record for Western Australia is more modest - 7870 first-class runs at 42.31 compared to his potential national partner Justin Langer's 8209 at 52.28 - but he sealed a short-term spot in the one-day outfit in New Zealand and England. Hussey ended a string of three low scores with an unbeaten 101 at Rawalpindi, and a Test berth is a possibility if Hayden slips.

A lower-profile candidate for a top-order vacancy is Phil Jaques, the New South Wales batsman and English-passport holder who knocked back an approach to become qualified when at Northamptonshire. Aiming instead to represent Australia, Jaques has had three sensational seasons at home and in England and was the best-performed batsman with 92 not out in the opening loss to Pakistan A.

Last summer Jaques, who depending on his mood can collect runs calmly or aggressively, was second behind only Michael Bevan in the Pura Cup with 1,191 runs, including two double-centuries, and in Yorkshire this winter he hit 1359 runs to add to his 1118 in 2004. However, the next batting place, which was created by Damien Martyn's exit, should be going to Hodge, who has not been forgotten despite virtual sightseeing trips of England, New Zealand and India over the past year.

The bowling prospects are harder to narrow down with Australia A containing a mix of young and old for the Pakistan tour. Stuart Clark, who was on standby for McGrath in England, may become a seaming-wicket option while Nathan Bracken was picked for the Super Series ODI squad and Mick Lewis has a Cricket Australia contract. A player to watch out for if he can remain injury-free is Mitchell Johnson, a 23-year-old left-armer who completed his first full season with Queensland last summer.

Despite predictions from across the globe that Australia will struggle to replace the current batch of world champions, there are some attractive options behind the international scenes. Nobody has yet shown the lasting quality of Shane Warne or Glenn McGrath, but even they didn't realise their potential until spending a couple of years in the Test team.