Light Shield duties for Australia ODI star

James Faulkner will play a restricted role in Tasmania's clash against NSW to ensure he will be at peak fitness for Australia's ODI series next month.

Faulkner has been troubled by a knee injury and his case is one of many considerations ahead of the Sheffield Shield match starting in Hobart on Saturday as both teams try to cope with injury and national selection pressures.

After being named in the national ODI outfit to take on New Zealand in December, Faulkner claims his knee is feeling the best it has for more than a year.

Quick Single: Australia ODI squad named

But Tigers coach Dan Marsh concedes Faulkner remains partly under wraps.

"Cricket Australia have put some restrictions on him," Marsh told reporters on Friday, adding that Tasmania has tried to push the boundaries to make the most of Faulkner in the first-class format.

"We know that he's got to be in better condition for the Australian team if he can bowl a few more overs and it's really up to how Jimmy feels.

"We certainly don't want to bowl him 25 overs in an innings - that would cook him and he's not ready for that.

"If we can get 25 overs out of him for this game, he'll do a good job for us and he'll be in a good position to play one-day cricket for Australia."

Tassie will also be without Alex Doolan who is still overcoming concussion suffered after he belted 202 during the side's nine-wicket win over Western Australia.

He will be replaced by in-form batsman Ben McDermott, son of former Test paceman Craig McDermott.

The Blues will be minus Steve Smith, David Warner, Nathan Lyon and Nic Maddinson who are all on Test duty, while a calf injury will keep spin bowler Stephen O'Keefe sidelined.

"We'll be helped by a combination of Peter Nevill, Ryan Carters and Ryan Gibson," NSW skipper Moises Henriques said.

SQUADS

TAS: George Bailey (c), Cameron Boyce, Jake Doran, Ben Dunk, James Faulkner, Hamish Kingston, Ben McDermott, Simon Milenko, Sam Rainbird, Jordan Silk, Cameron Stevenson, Beau Webster.

NSW: Moises Henriques (c), Doug Bollinger, Ryan Carters, Harry Conway, Trent Copeland, Ed Cowan, Ryan Gibson, Daniel Hughes, Peter Nevill, Kurtis Patterson, Gurinder Sandhu, Will Somerville.

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