Harris picks his attack for Proteas Tests

Former Australia paceman Ryan Harris has backed Tasmanian Jackson Bird to regain his place in the Test team for the summer opener against South Africa in Perth.

Bird played two Tests on Home soil in the summer of 2012-13, but has only added three to his name since – one in England in August 2013 and two more earlier this year in New Zealand.

The 29-year-old took seven wickets in the second of those Tests against the Black Caps – including a maiden five-wicket haul – and was selected for the tour of Sri Lanka but overlooked for Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc in conditions more suited to spin.

The right-arm quick, originally from Sydney, was plying his trade with Nottinghamshire between those tours and is now scheduled to line up for Australia A in two first-class fixtures against India A in Brisbane in the coming weeks.

National selector Rod Marsh said at the time the Australia A matches would be "a good opportunity for Jackson to get some match bowling under his belt prior to the domestic season".

Harris, who was today unveiled as Australia's bowling coach for the upcoming Qantas tour of South Africa, where he will work alongside newly appointed assistant coach David Saker, has Bird in his XI for the first Test at the WACA from November 3.

Asked to name his bowling attack for that match on cricket.com.au's Unplayable Podcast, Harris replied: "Hazlewood and Starc are going to be there.

"I think Jackson Bird, and you don't need a fourth quick because you'll have Mitchell Marsh.

And Nathan Lyon.

"In the squad hopefully is Peter Siddle, the next man in, fit and firing – I don't think he'll be ready for the first Test coming off his injury."

Bird's consistency in line and length and ability to move the ball off the pitch have been likened to the traits that made Glenn McGrath so successful, and the paceman would likely have played more Test cricket had it not been for back injuries that have plagued him since his Test debut in December 2012.

Quick Single: Pace aces to rest up for home series

For a while, it looked as though he may never again hit the heights of his maiden Shield season in 2011-12, in which he snared 53 wickets, and his subsequent Test debut the following summer.

And Bird himself admitted as much during an interview with cricket.com.au last October.

"The third time I did (my back), when I got home from the Test tour in South Africa (in early 2014) it was sore for a couple of months and I did actually think to myself, 'Is it ever going to get better – am I ever going to be 100 per cent, or am I going to have to retire?'," he said. "But the medical staff were pretty confident that if I did have the correct amount of rest, which I did have, that it would be fine and luckily enough that was the case.

"Fingers crossed I'm through all that stuff and I don't have to worry about hurting my back again. I just have to do everything I can to make sure it doesn’t happen again."

With hard work and some technical changes to his action, Bird has returned to his best in 2016 and looks a good chance to add to his five caps for Australia.

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Perhaps the greatest rival to him for that third fast-bowling spot is Siddle, who is currently undergoing his own rehabilitation after back and ankle problems.

And contrary to the view of Harris, the Victorian quick told reporters earlier this month he believes he'll be set to go for the Proteas from the series opener.

"That's the plan. I've started back bowling and the body's feeling good so it's just a matter of getting it all right and preparing before then," Siddle said.

"Once they sat down and worked out how much I'd bowled – about a thousand more overs than anyone else in Australia in the last couple of years – it showed that I'd bowled a lot more so I was putting my body under a lot of pressure and it was taking its toll.

"So I had dropped off (the pace) a bit and I think this freshen up has been great.

"I feel relaxed, a lot fresher ... and got that hunger back."