Harris tips Hazlewood for Test success

Ryan Harris has identified Josh Hazlewood as the young quick most likely to break into Australia's Test side this summer, but the veteran says he doesn't feel threatened by the presence of Australia's exciting crop of prodigious fast-bowlers.

Harris made his return to first-class cricket last week, his first match since he bowled Australia to a memorable victory against South Africa in March.

The right-armer took 7-118 and hit a run-a-ball half-century for the myFootDr Queensland Bulls, and he has been named in the 13-man squad for next week's Bupa Sheffield Shield clash against the Tasmanian Tigers at Allan Border Field.

Harris's involvement in the Shield match may yet hinge on his selection in the squad for the first Test against India, starting December 4 in Brisbane, but was named in the Bulls' squad after asking for a second Shield game to shake off any lingering rust from his eight-month absence.

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The squad for the first Commonwealth Bank Test Series match will be announced on Monday, and Harris is hopeful that he will be given the opportunity to reunite with fellow Ashes conquerors Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle as part of a three-man pace attack.

But the veteran is well aware of Australia's depth of fast-bowlers, headlined by Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Patrick Cummins, James Pattinson and Jackson Bird.

While Pattinson and Bird are on the comeback trail from injury, and Cummins hasn't played a first-class match in almost 18 months, Hazlewood and Starc are pressing hard to force their way into the Test team and break-up the pace trio that played all five Ashes Tests last summer.

Not that Harris is worried.

"That's not a threat to me. That's awesome," Harris told Triple M's The Rush Hour.

"The fact is that if I'm bowling well enough and the guys that have done it last year – Siddle, myself and Johnson – if we're bowling well enough then hopefully we'll get a chance.

"But if not, these young blokes are coming through (who) are bowling very well at state level and obviously in one-day cricket at the moment for Australia, they're going to get a chance.

"And that's only healthy for us and healthy for Australia."

Hazlewood, who picked up career-best figures of 5-31 against South Africa in Perth last Sunday, has been spoken about as a possible inclusion for the Test series against the Indians.

The 23-year-old's return to Australia's ODI side for the Carlton Mid ODI series came after he took 14 wickets for the NSW Blues in the Matador One Day Cup, which followed on from career-best figures of 6-50 in the Sheffield Shield final last summer.

"At the moment, I think Josh Hazlewood, definitely," Harris said when asked which young fast bowler was the closest to forcing his way into the Test XI.

"I watched him bowl the other night in Perth and he's bowling really quick.

"And I think out of all of the younger guys coming through, he's the one ... (whose) body has probably adapted to (first-class) cricket (the best).

"So he probably would be the closest (and) Mitchell Starc's not far behind.

"I think Josh Hazlewood is probably next in line. Hopefully I'm playing in Brisbane, but that's not a sure thing."