Cricket-Australia paceman Pattinson a doubt for Champions Trophy

April 4 (Reuters) - James Pattinson is the latest name to be added to Australia's growing list of Champions Trophy injury doubts with the fast bowler needing abdominal surgery for an existing condition on Friday.

Captain Michael Clarke (lower back) is already facing a race against time to be fit for Australia's defence of the June 6-23 tournament in England, while injury-prone fast bowler Pat Cummins (upper back) appears set miss out completely.

Pattinson, who turns 23 next month, was undergoing the surgery in Melbourne and was expected to return to training in about a month, Cricket Australia (CA) said in a statement on Thursday.

"James Pattinson will be having surgery tomorrow for a non-cricket related medical condition in his lower abdominal region that has been troubling him during the latter part of the recently concluded tour of India," CA chief medical officer Justin Paoloni said.

"James has undergone tests and consulted specialists since returning from India, and it was felt that surgery is absolutely necessary at this time.

"The recovery time will be determined once the surgery is completed but James is expected to return to training in approximately four weeks.

"His preparation for the Ashes is not expected to be affected but his availability for the ICC Champions Trophy will be determined at a later stage."

Australia will remain in England for the Ashes series starting on July 10 with Nottingham's Trent Bridge hosting the first of five tests. (Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; Editing by John O'Brien)

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Cricket-Australia lack batting depth admits chief selector

By Nick Mulvenney

SYDNEY, April 3 (Reuters) - Australia's chief selector John Inverarity admitted they were struggling for batting depth ahead of this year's Ashes as he announced the list of centrally contracted players for the 2013-14 season on Wednesday.

The 20 named gave a strong indication of the players Australia will be relying on to try and win the Ashes back from England in the first of back-to-back series this year and there were no surprises.

Of the 17 who were on the list last year, only 35-year-old short form specialist David Hussey failed to retain his contract, while Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey have retired.

Top order batsmen Ed Cowan and Phil Hughes, Twenty20 captain George Bailey, all-rounders Glenn Maxwell and James Faulkner as well as quick bowler Clint McKay were the six players brought into the fold.

Inverarity said the discussions on the squad for the first Ashes series, which begins at Trent Bridge on July 10, were at an "advanced" stage but there would be few changes to the party that were humbled 4-0 in India.

"We thought we took our best squad to India, the Ashes squad is likely to be similar to that. There'll be a couple of changes," he told reporters in Perth.

"This list has a broader view because it takes in T20s and one-dayers as well."

Iverarity said the Ashes party would be 16 or 17 strong, have five or six pace bowlers with possibly one all-rounder as well as two spinners.

"I think our pace bowling is likely to be good, I think the wickets in England are likely to suit us more than they did in India," he said.

"But the stability in the batting, we need to get more stability and certainty in our top six.

"We do not have the batting depth in Australia that we had 15 to 20 years ago, we just don't. That is something cricket in Australia has to address," he added.

Batsmen Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith, along with pace bowler Jackson Bird and all-rounder Moises Henriques, had been "very close" to making the list, he said, adding batsmen Alex Doolan and Adam Voges were still in the frame for the Ashes.

David Hussey's omission was an indication that Australia was looking to the future, Inverarity said.

"We are very much in a transition stage in Australian cricket, we've lost some wonderful players. We're in transition and we're looking to offer experience to those young players we think will come through best."

Inverarity said he was "very excited" about the Ashes series and was certain Australia would give a better account of themselves than they had in India.

"The team's performances in India was poor, there were some performances that were unacceptable," he said.

"The conditions there were very, very demanding and I thought a number of the young players learned and improved and they'll be better for that experience."

Contracted players: George Bailey, Michael Clarke, Ed Cowan, Patrick Cummins, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Ben Hilfenhaus, Phil Hughes, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Clint McKay, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Shane Watson. (Editing by Patrick Johnston)

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Cricket-Australia need less formal approach, says unhappy Warne

March 12 (Reuters) - Australia's selectors need to adopt a less formal approach to bring the best out of the players even if it means allowing one or two to sort out their differences behind closed doors, according to Shane Warne.

Team management have been criticised for disciplining Shane Watson, Mitchell Johnson, James Pattinson and Usman Khawaja for failing to carry out a 'homework' task set by coach Mickey Arthur on the tour of India.

Australia were crushed in the first two matches and Watson, Johnson, Pattinson and Khawaja have now been suspended for the third test.

"If you wind back the clock to the old days it was about going to a pub or locking yourselves in a room with a few beers in a relaxed environment and making it all informal," former leg-spinning great Warne told Britain's Talksport Radio on Tuesday.

"With everyone just having a chat, it always leads to something. The more formal you make things, it makes people not want to express themselves.

"If two guys have got an issue they can punch one another in a corner if they have to but you sort it all out, wake up the next day, all walk across the line together and away you go."

Warne, one of the greatest slow bowlers of all time after amassing 708 test wickets at an average of 25.41, said he would probably have been banned as well if he had been asked to do 'homework'.

"I think I would have been in detention for a long time," he laughed. "It probably would have been a combination of me standing up at the back of the class and annoying the teacher."

Warne believes there is more to the 'homework' issue than meets the eye.

BEAT UP

"I think there is something more to it than has been given to the public," he said. "Whether it's the players being late for buses or perhaps not being punctual and it sounds like this was a line in the sand.

"For me it's all about a group of guys getting together to try and beat up on the opposition and having a bit of fun on the way. When there are issues in a team environment... it's about making the players feel at ease."

Warne is not happy with the whole Australian system and believes they have been choosing the wrong players for the last year and a half.

"In the side I would pick, there would be five or six changes and I'd use players that aren't even in the squad now," said the 43-year-old, who retired from international cricket in 2007.

"If you look at some guys who aren't in the squad - for example Nathan Coulter-Nile, Josh Hazlewood, Shaun Marsh, James Faulkner, Callum Ferguson - they are quality players. Australia have got the talent but they're just not getting the opportunities.

"The selectors for some reason aren't picking them and we've also got a ridiculous rotation policy," said Warne.

"The players are looking over their shoulders and wondering if they're gonna be selected. They're starting to look out for themselves and that's never been the Australian way."

Warne, the scourge of England's batsmen in his day, tipped the old enemy to beat visiting Australia in the Ashes series that starts in July.

"England are 100 percent the favourites at this stage, no question about it," he said. "But that's almost a good thing for Australia.

"Maybe they can turn up and be a surprise packet if they get their selections right, put the right players on the park and stay injury free." (Writing by Tony Jimenez, editing by Pritha Sarkar)

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