Langer backs ‘Kasper’ for Ashes fourth test showdown

JUSTIN LANGER believes Australia’s selectors have been left with a headache when they choose the bowling attack for this week’s fourth Ashes Test.

But Langer endorsed Michael Kasprowicz’s credentials following the draw with Northamptonshire.

Fast bowling rival Shaun Tait was the centre of attention at Wantage Road, claiming two wickets and leaving opener Tim Roberts with a nasty wound above his left eyebrow from a vicious bouncer.

But Langer, deputising for Ricky Ponting at Northamptonshire, backed Kasprowicz for a recall, with Jason Gillespie almost certainly out of the equation for Trent Bridge, which starts on Thursday.

The uncapped Tait, 22, would be the more adventurous pick, given his sheer speed and unusual action but he is more a deputy to Brett Lee than first-change material.

“That is the best Michael Kasprowicz has bowled all tour, he bowled quicker than he has, he seemed to have a lot more confidence,” Langer said.

“Shaun Tait in a way gave us what we were expecting him to give us.

“He is a bit unpredictable, he bowls yorkers and bumpers, and having faced him last year and in the nets here I can say he is very uncomfortable to face.

“Whether the selectors decide for him to make his debut in the next test, which will possibly be the biggest test of our lives, only time will tell.

“Shaun is a bit like Shoaib Akhtar or in a way Brett Lee. He is obviously a strike bowler and a great prospect. But the balance of the attack will be important. I have always said Michael Kasprowicz, in domestic cricket, is the hardest bloke to face.”

Kasprowicz, 33, is not the kind of individual to be aggrieved about anything, but having kept Lee on the test sidelines for 18 months prior to this series, he would have had reason when not picked for the Lord’s opener. He was then axed again after claiming three wickets in the narrow defeat at Edgbaston.

Whoever comes out on top, however, will be part of an Australian XI eager to boost their flagging intensity levels.

“This past game was all about togetherness,” said Langer.

“Whatever the combinations, if we get the attitude right and the energy and intensity up, it doesn’t matter who we play against, we are very hard to beat. We have not been at the cut-throat edge that we are used to playing at in the last two tests.

“We’ve played periods of very good cricket but in test match cricket, particularly when you play a good team like England, you cannot afford to be playing in periods.

“We know we have to increase the intensity right through to the last ball of this series.

“I’m not sure really why it dropped. Maybe it’s that thing called pressure.

“We don’t want to lose the Ashes.

“Unfortunately, whoever wins or loses, the (next) Ashes is a long way down the track, and maybe we’ve got a bit distracted by what could happen in a few weeks’ time.”