Shane Watson, Mitchell Starc press claims for Adelaide: coach

Shane Watson and Mitchell Starc will come under consideration for Australia in next week's second Adelaide Test after drawing the series opener with South Africa, coach Mickey Arthur said on Wednesday.

Watson missed the first Gabba Test with a calf injury while selectors preferred spinner Nathan Lyon to left-arm paceman Starc in the team.

The Australians came out of the first of three Tests with an edge over the world number one Proteas and Arthur expects them to come back strong in Adelaide.

Australia needs to win the series to wrest the No.1 ranking away from South Africa.

Arthur, who was South Africa's coach when they won an historic first series in Australia in 2008-09, said all-rounder Watson would come into "a huge amount of consideration" to play in the second Test, starting on November 22.

"Watto (Watson) has had two nets, he had a bit of a run yesterday and he came through that well, he's having a bowl on Friday. We'll see early next week how that's going," Arthur said.

On whether Watson would be considered purely as a specialist batsman given his recent injury, Arthur added: "We'll have to sit down and consider what we think is the best eleven going into that Adelaide Test and Shane would come into a huge amount of consideration for that.

"He's a quality player, he's an international brand is Shane Watson. If Shane Watson was fit, we'd have to definitely consider that."

Starc will be another under consideration given his ability to create rough around the wicket in his follow-through for spinner Lyon to exploit late in the Adelaide Test.

"Mitchell's playing a Sheffield Shield game, let's see how he goes in that one and it might give us another option come Adelaide. The more depth we create, the happier I am," the coach said.

... contd.

ALSO READ

IPL 2013: It's going to be tough game against Punjab, says Daniel Vettori

IPL 2013: Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Dravid fashion Rajasthan Royals' win

IPL 2013: A forgettable 'hat-trick' for Kieron Pollard

Conditions in England will assist my style of bowling, says Bhuvneshwar Kumar