Lee faces uphill battle to regain Test spot

Melbourne: The chairman of selectors for the Australian team, Andrew Hilditch, has said that middle order batsman Mike Hussey has secured his Test career with his outstanding one-day form.

Hilditch, however, says that Brett Lee has an uphill battle to regain his Test place and that Shane Watson will continue to open the batting in the longer version of the game.

According to The Australian, Hilditch made it clear that Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus were in the box seat after some impressive performances in South Africa and England this year.

"Obviously I can't be specific ahead of a selection meeting, but as I said after South Africa, it's going to be difficult to go away from that bowling group," he said.

"It's going to take something pretty special for Brett Lee or Stuart Clark to force their way in for a variety of reasons. I think the situation has pretty much remained as is. Those three bowlers were the leading wicket-takers in the Ashes.

"One (Johnson) has just been named international cricketer of the year, Hilfenhaus was the bowler of the Ashes and Peter Siddle was the young cricketer of the year.

"They've all staked really high claims to maintain their positions but Brett and Stuart Clark remain very good bowlers. Brett has been one of our very best. It's up to him to get back to four-day cricket and demonstrate a case to get back in."

Hilditch claimed any selections this summer would be made with next season's Ashes return bout in mind.

Hussey's last-innings Test century at The Oval in August was his first in 30 innings.

There were also six ducks among 11 single figure scores as his average plunged from 70 to the low 50s over the past year.

But Hussey's one-day form during the seven-match series in India, which ended overnight in Mumbai, has been imposing.