Hauritz handed chance to impress

Off-spinner Nathan Hauritz is preferred to seamer Doug Bollinger for the first Test against West Indies at the Gabba

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Australia captain Ricky Ponting has confirmed left-arm pace bowler Doug Bollinger will be named 12th man for the opening Test against West Indies in Brisbane, presenting Nathan Hauritz with a golden opportunity to nail down the Test spinner's spot .

Hauritz has become a regular in the national one-day side but, while he also holds the title of Australia's first-choice spinner in the Test arena, selectors opted for an all-out pace attack for two fixtures in the recent failed Ashes campaign.

While England's Graeme Swann snapped up eight wickets at the Brit Oval to see his side reclaim the Urn, Hauritz watched from the sidelines as part-timer Marcus North handled Australia's spin duties.

However, Hauritz has been reinstated for this week's Test at the Gabba and Ponting believes this summer will provide the off-spinner with a chance to finally become a permanent fixture of the Test XI - some five years after bursting onto the scene in the tour to India.

"There is a great opportunity for Nathan in the coming Test matches to really grab hold of the spinner's position in our team with both hands," Ponting said.

"His performances in the early Test matches of the Ashes series were very good. I think they probably exceeded some of our expectations on the way we thought he could bowl, so that was a real positive.

"He's always been a very good one-day bowler and we want to keep developing him as a Test bowler. He'll get a good opportunity to do that over the next few days."

It has been almost five years since 28-year-old Hauritz has bowled a ball in first-class cricket at the Gabba, a venue where he boasts a bowling average in excess of 64.

Hauritz shifted states to New South Wales at the end of the 2005-06 season after his career stalled with Queensland and will be playing his first Test at the ground he once called home.