Aussies gather ahead of defining period

A pivotal period for Australia's Test aspirations begins this week as leading players gather in Brisbane for a training camp that marks the start of an intense 12 months of cricket.

The Australia A squad has assembled at the Bupa National Cricket Centre for a week-long training camp that is an unofficial start of a season that will see Australia's elite players in action almost non-stop until the end of next winter's Ashes tour in early September.

Chief among Australia's priorities this week will be fitness checks for key personnel, including the nation's front-line bowling attack.

Mitch Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins will all be in Brisbane to work out alongside the Australia A squad with the trio at varying stages on their way back from injuries.

Starc is nearing full fitness and confident of being cleared to play in the UAE. He expects to be bowling off his full run up "at about 85 per cent intensity" this week, but the prognosis is less clear for Hazlewood and Cummins.

"Hopefully the injury's all good," Hazlewood said. "We're discussing this week a plan to play on that (UAE) tour. We'll find out more during the week," he told the Northern Daily Leader on a trip back to Tamworth, near his home town of Bendemeer.

"But everything feels pretty good and I've been working hard over the last couple of months to get ready, so hopefully we get to get over there."

Cummins' availability should also become clearer with all three quicks to undergo biomechanical testing and analysis.

"There's no guarantees with injury, especially a stress fracture," he told cricket.com.au recently. "It's something you have to be really, really careful with.

"If you come back slowly and manage it really well, it's great. You never have a problem and sometimes the bone comes back even stronger than it was before.

"But if you don't treat it with respect, it can flare up and that's when it goes from being one month away from bowling to suddenly having to restart all over again.

"We'll find that balance between getting back and playing and being a little bit cautious. If I'm 100 per cent fit, I'll definitely be going to Pakistan. There's no doubt about that."

Another keen to prove his fitness is opening batsman Matthew Renshaw, who is recovering from surgery to insert screws in the index finger of his left hand.

Renshaw copped a blow during a slips fielding drill with UK county side Somerset the day before a first-class match against Surrey, then another the morning of the game while batting in the nets.

"I played through it, had an X-ray and found out it was broken," he told SEN's Gerard Whateley recently.

"They said it wasn't too bad, but I got back (to Australia), had another X-ray and it had moved position and they needed to put some screws in, so I had a little surgery to get it back where it needed to be."

Renshaw was unable to pick up a bat for about seven weeks, but is due back in the nets this week, eager to prove his fitness for the Australia A white- and red-ball squads.

"I might have to miss a few of the one-dayers, depending on how I'm going," Renshaw said.

"When I start hitting I've got to be able to just feel confident against both the quicks and the spinners."

Australia coach Justin Langer has already indicated performances in the series will go a long way to determining the top six for Australia's next Test engagement, a two-match series against Pakistan in the UAE.

Langer, who is not going to India with Australia A (Graeme Hick is head coach, with Ryan Harris his assistant) has been in constant contact with players in the lead-up to the training camp.

"There's been plenty of information from 'JL' (Langer) around the whole group over the last few weeks, really getting ready some of the guys going to India for the A tour and the rest of us for the UAE tour," Starc told News Corp.

"The communication has been great. We'll head up to Brisbane this week where there are a lot of guys in contention for Test spots.

"It's going to be a tough tour of the UAE but obviously an important one for a young and changing team.

"Hopefully we springboard off that and into the summer. We always love playing in our backyard and everyone looks forward to the summer, so hopefully it's going to be a successful one."

Australia A Tour of India

Australia A one-day squad: Travis Head (c), Alex Carey (vc), Ashton Agar, Peter Handscomb, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Joel Paris, Matthew Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, D'Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitch Swepson, Chris Tremain, Jack Wildermuth

Schedule

One-day fixtures in Vijayawada

17 August v India A

19 August v South Africa A

21 August v India B

23 August v India A

25 August v South Africa A

27 August v India B

29 August - Quad-Series Final

Australia A four-day squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Alex Carey (vc), Ashton Agar, Brendan Doggett, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Michael Neser, Joel Paris, Kurtis Patterson, Matthew Renshaw, Mitch Swepson, Chris Tremain

Four-day fixtures in Vizag

2-5 September v India A

8-11 September v India A