Nevill backs Abbott, Harris for Ashes call-ups

As a former Australia Test keeper and a New South Wales gloveman poised to play his 100th Sheffield Shield match, Peter Nevill knows a bit about the bowling credentials required to earn a Baggy Green cap.

And the man who has regularly stood behind the stumps to Australia's current Test attack – Blues quartet Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon – believes allrounder Sean Abbott has a strong claim to be next in line should an opening arise.

Nevill had the best possible vantage point when Abbott snared 6-38 in the first innings of last week's Shield loss to Victoria at Drummoyne Oval, further raising expectations the 29-year-old will be included in the expanded Ashes squad to be announced later this month.

And as the long-time Shield rivals prepare to resume battle at the MCG from tomorrow, Nevill has added his voice to Abbott's cause, noting NSW's most successful quick over the past year is "a Test player in the making".

"Sean's been outstanding for a long period of time now, and I just can't sing his praises enough," Nevill said today, on the eve of his 99th Shield appearance.

"Both his batting and his bowling have gone to new heights in recent years, and it's been really gratifying to see the progress he's made.

"He's been consistently our best bowler through the pre-season.

"He always manages with the new ball to find exactly the right length and adapts really well to different conditions.

"And he bowled with really good reverse swing and some aggressive short stuff through the last match."

Given Abbott's potency on day one at Drummoyne, and the threat he continued to pose as the lively pitch flattened out, Nevill lauded the batting of Victoria pair Marcus Harris (137) and Peter Handscomb (115) who put together a match-defining second-wicket stand of 261 in their team's second innings.

He said that partnership was especially important given Abbott was generating reverse swing, a skill which was as crucial to the seamer's current arsenal as the additional pace he's been looking to develop through the off-season.

"His pace has never been an issue," Nevill said of his bowling spearhead, who has also averaged 53.40 with the bat in Shield cricket since the start of last summer.

"He's always had really good energy on the ball, and he's got all the ingredients needed to make the step up to Test cricket in my opinion.

"His batting provides such a such a valuable string to his bow and his output for the last two years with the bat has been exceptional.

"He's certainly someone who's making a very strong case to be the next bowler in (Australia's Test team) should one of the big quicks go down."

Nevill also believes rival opener Harris is at the front of the queue to retain his berth at the top of Australia's batting order for the first Ashes Test, which begins at the Gabba in Brisbane on December 8.

Not only did the left-hander post the match-high score at Drummoyne which followed his productive northern summer with English county Leicestershire, Harris has proven to be a regular thorn in the side of NSW's vaunted bowling attack.

The unbeaten 250 Harris scored against the Blues at the MCG three seasons ago was the springboard to his Test debut later that summer, and over that period he has averaged 65 against NSW in Shield cricket with three centuries from 14 innings.

"If you've got any ideas, I'd love some because his record against us is quite good," Nevill said today when asked if the Blues had devised new plans for Harris in the wake of his latest big score.

"He's obviously had a very good off-season in England as well, he's been churning out the runs for a long period of time.

"If they need an opener to partner with David Warner for the first Test, I'm sure he's well and truly in the frame.

"He seems to be the front runner for mine."

One name Nevill is not expecting to see among the enlarged Ashes squad, the members of which will play a three-day internal trial match in Brisbane in the weeks prior to the first Vodafone Test, is his own.

Nevill quashed a spurious television news report from earlier in the week that speculated he would be called into the squad as back-up to incumbent keeper and skipper Tim Paine.

"That was news to me," said the 36-year-old, who played the most recent of his 17 Test matches five years ago.

"The first I heard of it was when I was getting some text messages from my mates whose mums had watched the news and saw it.

"I haven't had any conversations with anybody from the national set-up in quite a while.

"My phone is still on - it's still on loud - but as yet, nothing."

Vodafone Men's Ashes v England

First Test: December 8-12, The Gabba

Second Test: December 16-20, Adelaide Oval

Third Test: December 26-30, MCG

Fourth Test: January 5-9, SCG

Fifth Test: January 14-18, Perth Stadium