Monday, September 15, 2008

Dropped Casson ready to fight back

So close: Beau Casson was squeezed out of Australia's squad.

A disappointed Beau Casson has vowed to continue refining his technique and promised to work harder to regain a spot in Australia's Test squad. Three months after taking three wickets on debut against West Indies, Casson has been dropped from the India tour squad, which is due to leave on Sunday, and will start his season with New South Wales.

The relatively unknown pair of Bryce McGain and Jason Krejza will battle for the slow-bowling spots while Casson wonders what he did wrong. He was told by Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, that McGain, a legspinner, and Krejza, an offspinner, were "the best combination".

"No one has got a right to say they're going to play for Australia, I've played one game, I'm very, very lucky to do that," he said in the Sydney Morning Herald. "I'm going to be working very hard to get back in.

"I'm 25. Hopefully I've got a hell of a long time in the game still to come. I'm pretty happy with the way I went ... I got a taste of it and I loved every second of it. I want to keep doing it. I want to play for Australia as often as possible."

Casson, a left-arm wrist-spinner, said Hilditch was "upbeat" about his results, but did not offer a detailed explanation of the decision. "I don't think there was an X factor," he said. "Finger spinners have had some success over there and that's what they've decided to do."

He has been working on changing his action to improve his consistency, which will be helped by a slower build-up to the home summer visits of New Zealand and South Africa. "I was a little bit like a frog in a blender, arms and legs everywhere," he said in the Australian. "You see it with a lot of cricketers when they first started playing. I'm trying to refine my action and making sure that has no hindrance on my control."