South Australia seamer hot on the heels of Tasmanian Test incumbent
Bird wary of surging Sayers
Paceman Jackson Bird hopes his recent form for Tasmania is enough to keep Australia's selectors onside for the Test series against Pakistan.
Bird took 3-68 during Tasmania's washed out Sheffield Shield draw against Victoria at Blundstone Arena on Thursday just hours after being named in Australia's unchanged 12-man Test squad for the series opener in Brisbane next week.
But competing for a place in the Australian XI is Chadd Sayers, who took 5-27 playing for South Australia against NSW in the same Shield round, and remains the domestic competition's leading bowler.
"Chadd's a great bowler, he gets five wickets every game so who knows what the selectors will do," Bird said.
"He (Sayers) is the form bowler of the competition, he has been for the past couple of years.
"We'll see what happens but I feel like I've been bowling pretty well, so we'll see what the selectors go with."
Australia coach Darren Lehmann hasn't ruled out four quicks for the day-night Brisbane Test.
On Thursday Bird took the scalps of Victorian opener Travis Dean (19), and then middle-order batsmen Cameron White (60) and Sam Harper (0) with successive balls, essentially ending the Bushrangers hopes of victory.
"I thought I bowled pretty well - I hit the wicket hard and I found my line and length pretty early on in the day ... hopefully I can take that into the Test up in Brissy," Bird said.
After a lacklustre 203 in their first innings, Tassie's second dig produced 9-387 (dec) thanks largely to an unbeaten 122 by No.5 Beau Webster and a handy contribution of 76 by Jordan Silk.
Victoria were 8-319 needing another 42 runs for victory when the match was declared a washout draw with 4.5 overs remaining.
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