January 30. This will be put down as the most important date of the next couple of months for Hughes and Jaques as they will bat-off to help their cause in becoming the next Australian Test opening batsmen.
Simon Katich will generously let Hughes and Jaques open in the Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania in Newcastle starting on January 30. Katich will move down a place or 2 in the batting order to allow Jaques and Hughes to bat in their natural positions as they will do their utmost to be selected for the upcoming tour of South Africa.
"I will still be at the top of the order and see the new ball. The way I view things, that will have the least disruption on the team. Those two obviously open, last year I batted at No. 4 and having batted all around, I am comfortable moving down the order." Katich told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Jaques is returning from back surgery this weekend to play in a Sydney club game. Jaques scored a hundred in his last test in the West Indies, to go along with his strong record since being selected permanently. Jaques has had a few strong seasons for NSW and fully deserved his selection, and he didn't let the selectors down either hitting an even hundred in his first Test match as a permanent Australian Opening batsmen.
Meanwhile, Mark Waugh has pushed for the selection of Phillip Hughes saying the selectors should take a risk in picking the young batsmen. Hughes, 20, has had a fantastic second season in domestic cricket scoring 658 runs at 59 (third top run-scorer in the 08/09 Sheffield Shield) to go along with his first season records of 559 runs at 62.
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Simon Katich will generously let Hughes and Jaques open in the Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania in Newcastle starting on January 30. Katich will move down a place or 2 in the batting order to allow Jaques and Hughes to bat in their natural positions as they will do their utmost to be selected for the upcoming tour of South Africa.
"I will still be at the top of the order and see the new ball. The way I view things, that will have the least disruption on the team. Those two obviously open, last year I batted at No. 4 and having batted all around, I am comfortable moving down the order." Katich told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Jaques is returning from back surgery this weekend to play in a Sydney club game. Jaques scored a hundred in his last test in the West Indies, to go along with his strong record since being selected permanently. Jaques has had a few strong seasons for NSW and fully deserved his selection, and he didn't let the selectors down either hitting an even hundred in his first Test match as a permanent Australian Opening batsmen.
Meanwhile, Mark Waugh has pushed for the selection of Phillip Hughes saying the selectors should take a risk in picking the young batsmen. Hughes, 20, has had a fantastic second season in domestic cricket scoring 658 runs at 59 (third top run-scorer in the 08/09 Sheffield Shield) to go along with his first season records of 559 runs at 62.
