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No cricketers asking to be rested: Hopes
By Wayne Heming
16:07 AEST Thu Nov 5 2009

Australia's latest bowling casualty James Hopes suggested national players will continue to push themselves hard in order to stay in the selection frame for the West Indies Test series starting later this month.

Hopes arrived home from India on Thursday with a hamstring injury - the fifth Australian in ten days to go down on the subcontinent.

Hopes joined Peter Siddle, Brett Lee, Moises Henriques and Tim Paine on a horror injury list while Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Nathan Bracken and Callum Ferguson weren't even considered for the India tour because of injuries. Others such as quick Mitchell Johnson have played on with ailments.

"Pete Siddle got a niggle and they decided to send him home and there are a few boys who've been away from home for 150 days so you can understand why they've started to flag a little," Hopes said.

"But there's a big Test series (agains the West Indies) coming up and I don't think any of them are asking for a rest from this one (India)."

"It's not so much the playing it's the time away from home which starts to wear guys down a little bit."

But Hopes said despite the injury toll, the one day series against England and now India had at least helped Australia repairs its reputation in the limited overs game.

"What it's given us on the flip side is we're starting to prove a few people wrong about our one day team," he said.

"We've got back to the top of the tree and now we're in a bit of a fight with India to stay there."

Hopes said Australia's depth had again come to the fore.

"Moises Henriques came in and did a pretty good job for those two games but unfortunately he's gone down (hamstring)," he said.

Victorian all-rounder Andrew McDonald is on his way to India along with Siddle's replacement, little known NSW bowler Burt Cockley.

"Cockley bowls at good pace. I faced him a few times last year in Shield cricket batting with Martin Love," said Hopes.

"I walked out and thought `this kid's got some toe about him' so he'll go fine if he gets a chance.

"He's behind a few blokes like Clint McKay from Victoria who's a very good bowler and we've still got Mitch (Mitchell Johnson), Horrie (Nathan Hauritz) and Shane Watson.

Hopes found it amusing that Watson, who has a bad history with injury, had held up while others fell around him.

"I said a few years ago if Watto ever strung together a few games together on the park, people would stop questioning his durability.

"He's one of the tougher guys going around and he can play through some pain."

Hopes has pencilled in a comeback from his hamstring injury for Queensland against Victoria at the MCG later this moth provided Bulls coach Trevor Barsby can find a spot for him in the team which has charged to the top of the Shield and one day ladders.

The first Test against the Windies starts in Brisbane on November 26.

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