Shaun Marsh is poised to get the chance to string together a full Test summer for the first time after successfully proving his fitness following a hamstring injury this month.
National selector Rod Marsh will on Friday announce a 12-man squad for the first Test against South Africa at the WACA next week and his namesake is expected to be retained in the Australian side despite a spirited bid for a recall from deposed opener Joe Burns in the Sheffield Shield match against NSW at the Gabba.
Due to a combination of injury, form or non-selection the 33-year-old West Australian has only once featured in every Test of an Australian summer and that was a miserable campaign for him against India five years ago in which he only reached double figures once.
He mounted an irrepressible case for inclusion in Perth with a century in Australia's most recent Test outing against Sri Lanka in Colombo in August.
It was the first time Marsh had been picked since his 182 against the West Indies in Hobart last December, after which he was left out of the team to accommodate the return from injury of Usman Khawaja.
Burns, who along with Khawaja was dropped for the third Test against Sri Lanka, made it difficult for selectors this week with an impressive 129 for Queensland compiled against a NSW attack fronted by Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
But with David Warner's incumbent opening partner proving his fitness following a hamstring tear by batting for more than three hours in an innings of 73 for Western Australia on Tuesday, Burns was always going to find it difficult to squeeze Marsh out.
Warner tuned up for the first Test with a hundred of his own for the Blues on day three of the Shield match in Brisbane on Thursday while Khawaja, who complained that he and Burns had been made scapegoats for Australia's shortcomings in Sri Lanka, is likely to resume his spot at No.3 after earlier this week posting a handy 79.
Starc did what was asked of him by Cricket Australia's medical staff, bowling 19 overs in the first innings of NSW's pink-ball Shield match against Queensland in his return from a gruesome cut to his knee.
He starred in Australia's ill-fated campaign in Sri Lanka with 24 wickets and shapes as Steve Smith's major weapon with the ball against the Proteas.
Starc's new-ball partner Hazlewood, who was the pick of NSW's bowlers with four wickets, will find conditions in Australia more suited to his height and bounce than Sri Lanka.
Jackson Bird and Peter Siddle are likely to duel for the remaining pace berth after not featuring in Sri Lanka – Siddle due to injury while Bird was overlooked as Australia played a twin spin attack.
There were concerns over Siddle, who turns 32 next month, after he injured his back in New Zealand but the Victorian is on the verge of again proving his doubters wrong.
Bird is poised to play his first Test on home soil in nearly four years. Even if he misses out in Perth, the attrition rate of fast bowlers means Australia is unlikely to be able to rely on the same attack throughout this summer's six Tests.
Australia (likely squad): David Warner, Shaun Marsh, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith (c), Adam Voges, Mitchell Marsh, Peter Nevill, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Peter Siddle, Jackson Bird.
