Harris still 'short of a gallop' warns Lehmann

Fast bowler Ryan Harris needs to shine in Australia's Ashes warm-up matches against Kent and Essex to force his way into the first Test XI, says coach Darren Lehmann.

Bupa Support Team head coach Lehmann said Harris currently "looks a little short of a gallop" ahead of tonight's opening match of the Qantas Tour of the British Isles against Kent at Canteruby (from 8pm AEST).

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"He hasn't played for going on six months now," Lehmann told SEN's The Run Home this evening.

"We'll see how he pulls up and how he gets through and then we'll have a better idea of whether he can make it through the first Test or the second Test, or if he's right to go from ball one. We'll have to sum that up as we go.

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"He looks pretty good to be fair, but he looks a little short of a gallop so we'll just have to hold that and see how we go."

Harris was left out of Australia's World Cup squad and agreed to CA's plan to withdraw him from the second half of the Bupa Sheffield Shield season to focus on a strength and rehabilitation programme designed to get him to the Ashes in peak condition.

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Harris at Newclose on the Isle of Wight // IoW Cricket

He also missed the two Tests against the West Indies to remain home with wife Cherie for the birth of his first child, a baby son named Carter James Harris.

He arrived in the UK ahead of the rest of his Ashes teammates and played in a two-day match on the Isle of Wight alongside fellow squad members Chris Rogers, Mitchell Marsh and Peter Nevill. Harris bowled 15 overs on day one, snaring the wicket of Rogers early with the new ball, and another four overs on the second day as part of his carefully controlled bowling loads.

He takes the field against Kent tonight alongside Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle, the fast bowling trio that devastated England in the 2013-14 summer on the way to an Ashes whitewash.

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However, the emergence of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazelwood last summer, with form carried through the World Cup and into the West Indies tour has them and Johnson currently sitting pretty as the incumbents.

"We love (Harris), but who do you want dropped?" Lehmann responded to calls for the 35-year-old quick's inclusion.

"Performances from all our bowlers were fantastic in the West Indies.

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"But if we have to make a tough call and fit him in because he's bowling well, well so be it, that's what we'll have to do."

Australia seem certain to take three quicks and Nathan Lyon into the Tests, with Lehmann backing Australia's most potent off-spinner.

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"They've got a lot of left-handers in their squad so Lyon is a big weapon for us," he said.

"I know others have talked him down and said he's a weak link but to us he's a really important player. I think he'll play a big part in the Tests."

Chris Rogers and Shaun Marsh open against Kent, vying to partner David Warner in the Ashes Tests, while Shane Watson and Mitchell Marsh are both also playing in the first tour game, with Lehmann celebrating the great depth at his disposal.

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"They're not (selection) headaches, they're great debates," he said.

"We've got such good depth now so we've just got to pick the best XI for that game.

"Players in form will go a long way to ticking the boxes and getting into the side. These two tour games are really important for the whole squad."

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