Western Australia will have to make do without several key men in their bid to secure the maximum-points victory over Tasmania that would earn them a Ryobi Cup Final date with Victoria.
Mitchell Johnson and Ashton Agar remain away on international duty, skipper Adam Voges is set to miss the WACA clash for family reasons while Shaun Marsh (hamstring) and Nathan Coulter-Nile (adductor) are also unavailable due to injury - forcing the hosts to name no fewer than five new faces in their 13-man squad.
Tim Armstrong, Burt Cockley, Hayden Parsons, Luke Towers and Ashton Turner are the players who have been drafted in after impressing in local grade cricket this season and the Warriors will also be able to call upon Mitch Marsh who is poised to make his first appearance since badly tearing a hamstring back in November.
The 21-year-old all-rounder averaged 58 with the bat in the domestic one-day competition this term before suffering the injury and his return will significantly bolster the Warriors' middle order, as will the inclusion of Mike Hussey who is set to skipper the side in Voges' absence.
The Tigers, meanwhile, will head west looking to end what has been a dismal one-day campaign on a high having seen their faint finals hopes extinguished in last week's 37-run defeat at the hands of New South Wales.
The visitors have managed just two victories in the one-day format this season, but one of those did come against WA back in December when they cruised home by 85 runs after skittling the Warriors for just 107.
And they can draw further encouragement from the fact that skipper George Bailey will be back on board this week, along with fellow international bowler Ben Laughlin and all-rounder James Faulkner.
Ricky Ponting is also set to feature as he returns to Perth for the first time since announcing his international retirement before last year's third Test against South Africa, but the Tigers will be without Tim Paine, who remains on Australia A duty and spinner Jason Krejza, who has been omitted from the travelling party.
Twenty-year-old batsman Jordan Silk, meanwhile, is set to retain his middle-order berth following a gutsy knock of 54 in what was only his second first-class appearance against NSW last time out.
WA: Michael Hussey (captain), Liam Davis, Sam Whiteman, Hilton Cartwright, John Rogers, Mitch Marsh, Luke Towers, Tim Armstrong, Ashton Turner, Jason Behrendorff, Michael Hogan, Hayden Parsons, Burt Cockley.
Tasmania: George Bailey (captain), Harry Allanby, Mark Cosgrove, Ben Dunk, James Faulkner, Andrew Fekete, Matt Johnston, Evan Gulbis, Ben Laughlin, Ricky Ponting, Jordan Silk, Timm van der Gugten, Jon Wells.
First Posted 19 February, 2013 8:47AM AEST
