Langer backs 'Kasper' for Test return

Michael Kasprowicz hopes for a Test recall in Nottingham © Getty Images

Justin Langer believes Australia's selectors have been left with a headache when they choose the bowling attack for this week's fourth npower Ashes Test.

But Langer endorsed Michael Kasprowicz's credentials following the draw with Northamptonshire.

Fast bowling rival Shaun Tait was the centre of attention at Wantage Road, claiming two wickets and leaving opener Tim Roberts with a nasty wound above his left eyebrow from a vicious bouncer.

But Langer, the captain in Ricky Ponting's absence at Northamptonshire, backed Kasprowicz for a recall with Jason Gillespie almost certainly out of the equation for Trent Bridge.

Shaun Tait bowls with rapid pace © Getty Images

The uncapped Tait, 22, would be the more adventurous pick, given his sheer speed and unusual action but he is more a deputy to Brett Lee than first-change material supporting stellar duo Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, hinted Langer.

"That is the best Michael Kasprowicz has bowled all tour, he bowled quicker than he has, he seemed to have a lot more confidence, was tall at the crease and bowled very well,'' Langer said, after Kasprowicz's return of 1-43 from 14 overs.

"Shaun Tait in a way gave us what we were expecting him to give us.

"He is a bit unpredictable, he bowls yorkers and bumpers, and having faced him in the last Pura Cup game last year and in the nets here I can say he is very uncomfortable to face.

"Whether the selectors decide for him to make his debut in the next Test, which will possibly be the biggest Test of our lives, only time will tell.

"Shaun is a bit like Shoaib Akhtar or in a way Brett Lee. He is obviously a strike bowler and a great prospect. But the balance of the attack will be important.

"We have two of the best ever at the other end but the big question will come down to balance rather than talent or anything else in the next few days.

"I have always said Michael Kasprowicz, in domestic cricket, is the hardest bloke to face.

"He always tends to go across the left-hander and that is always a handful."

Kasprowicz and Tait are competing for a Test place © Getty Images

Kasprowicz, 33, is not the kind of individual to be aggrieved about anything but having kept Lee on the Test sidelines for 18 months prior to this series, during which period he took 55 wickets in 16 appearances, he would have had reason when not picked for the Lord's opener.

He was then axed again after claiming three wickets in the narrow defeat at Edgbaston which levelled the series.

Whoever comes out on top in this current head-to-head, however, will be part of an Australian XI eager to boost their flagging intensity levels.

"This past game was all about togetherness," said Langer. "In our warm-ups, out on the field there was a really good attitude within the team.

"Whatever the combinations, if the Australian cricket team gets the attitude right and the energy and intensity up, it doesn't matter who we play against, we are very hard to beat.

Kasprowicz impressed in the two-day match at Northampton © Getty Images

"We have not been at the cut-throat edge that we are used to playing at in the last two Tests.

"We've played periods of very good cricket but in Test match cricket, particularly when you play a good team like England, you cannot afford to be playing in periods - we have talked about that a lot recently.

"We know we have to increase the intensity right through to the last ball of this series.

"I'm not sure really why it dropped. Maybe it's that thing called pressure. We don't want to lose the Ashes.

"Unfortunately, whoever wins or loses, the (next) Ashes is a long way down the track, and maybe we've got a bit distracted by what could happen in a few weeks' time."