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Clarke puts spin on Cook

Michael Clarke has brazenly dared England to play two spinners in the second Commonwealth Bank Ashes Test as Australia aims to carry the mental edge gained in Brisbane into tomorrow's match in Adelaide.

Having declared Australia will retain the same bowling line-up it successfully fielded on the pacy Gabba strip, Clarke then attempted to call the tourists' bluff by claiming the relaid Adelaide pitch would prove increasingly conducive to spin as the second Test wore on.

He then gratuitously advised England that the dry nature of the pitch coupled with the fact Australia’s top seven includes six right-handed batsmen pointed towards the inclusion of left-arm spinner Monty Panesar to help out struggling off-spinner Graeme Swann.

Prior to the series opener in Brisbane, Clarke ventured his opinion on the make-up of the England XI on Test eve and was proved correct.

He then initially declined to repeat his predictions in Adelaide today, but then could not help himself in speculating as the Australians look to capitalise on the form concerns and personnel changes that England have been forced to consider.

Having floated Panesar as a likely option, he then back-tracked and taunted that Alastair Cook’s team was likely to take a conservative view to selection by opting for allrounder Tim Bresnan to bolster the bowling stocks, and Gary Ballance to make his Test debut in place of Jonathan Trott, who has returned home.

“I don’t think they will play Monty Panesar, but I wouldn’t be surprised on that wicket out there,” Clarke said, as if trying to deliberately sow seeds of doubt in the England selectors’ minds.

“I think spin is going to play a big part, I think we’ve got a lot of right-handers through our order but I think they’ll go safety.

“I think they’ll go Bresnan, and I think they’ll go Ballance. But I hope I’m wrong.”

The ploy, which also included the nomination of Joe Root to be elevated to the No.3 batting berth in place of Trott, is also designed to increase pressure on Swann, who struggled with both bat and ball in Brisbane.

By suggesting that England need an additional spinner to help cover for Swann’s lack of penetration, the Australians are warming further to the theme that Swann will be attacked at every opportunity in the hope of sapping the confidence of the tourists’ number one spinner.

Cook refused to rise to the bait when he fronted the media shortly after Clarke’s press conference, but tacitly acknowledged that the home team carried an advantage when it came to assessing the conditions and selecting the best line-up to exploit them.

However, while Clarke was advocating a reliance on spin while confirming Australia would continue with its three-pronged pace attack – Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle – Cook steadfastly declined to pre-empt his camp’s thinking.

“It’s pretty clear I’m not going to name the side,” Cook said, foreshadowing the starting XI won’t be confirmed until tomorrow morning’s coin toss. “It looks quite a dry wicket, so we’re trying to make sure we get the balance of that side right.

“I think (playing two spinners) is a realistic option, but one of the skills you try to have as a captain and coach, and with your senior players, is trying to judge the state of the wicket.

“That’s one of the crucial things about home advantage.

“You know the wicket better than the opposition, so we have to try and use our experience to try and make sure we’ve got the right side for the conditions.”

In addition to enjoying the confidence that’s grown in the wake of his team’s thumping win in Brisbane, Clarke finds himself in the unfamiliar position of taking an unchanged line-up into consecutive Tests.

The fact that Australia went the best part of a year, and nine consecutive Test matches without recording a win, meant players swung in and out of the team as selectors searched for a winning combination.

But even though he cited the selection stability as a positive sign that his team is heading in the right direction, Clarke was quick to quell any suggestion of hubris following the emphatic win in Brisbane.

“I can guarantee you that every single player in that (Australian) team has their feet well and truly on the ground,” he said.

“Our celebration after Brisbane wasn’t anything like I’ve seen Australian teams celebrate (in the past) when we’ve had big wins like that.

“And I think that’s because everybody knows we’ve got a long way to go. It’s only one Test win.”