Clarke says Test team a 'no-brainer'

Confident captain Michael Clarke said today there will be no surprises in Australia's team for the first Ashes Test with players in such good form they were "no brainer" selections.
Australia are due to announce tomorrow a 13-man squad for the opening clash against England from November 21 and Clarke likes what he has seen so far in the recent one-day tour of India and Sheffield Shield games.
"We are in a good place," he said as he launched his book, The Ashes Diary, in Sydney after attending a Remembrance Day service with England captain Alastair Cook.
"I honestly think that if they pick 12 players, then 11 of them are no-brainers for Test number one at the Gabba.

"I would imagine the majority pick themselves from the form they have displayed in all forms of the game," added Clarke.
"The exciting thing about where we are at right now, whether it be batters or bowlers, individual players have stepped up and performed."

Australia's position is in stark contrast to the Ashes tour of England earlier this year when their preparations were badly disrupted after coach Mickey Arthur was sacked just 18 days out from the first Test and opening batsman David Warner was suspended for ill discipline.
Clarke said all the players in contention for the five-Test series had done exactly what coach Darren Lehmann had asked of them as they attempt to reverse their 3-0 defeat in England and prevent their old rivals winning a fourth successive Ashes.

"Whether it be in the one-day format in India, the Ryobi Cup or the Sheffield Shield, the players have picked themselves which is a really impressive thing for our team," he said.
"And it is what Darren Lehmann and myself asked the guys to do: go back to state cricket and take wickets and score runs to be in the front of the selectors' minds.