Lee, Tait, Hauritz in World Cup squad
Australia has named its squad for the 2011 Cricket World Cup, with Brett Lee, Shaun Tait and Nathan Hauritz included but Victorian batsman Brad Hodge left out once again.
Lee and Tait join Test stars Mitchell Johnson and Doug Bollinger as the squad's pace foursome, while Hauritz beat Xavier Doherty to the spinners' role.
Victorian all-rounder John Hastings is the bolter in the 15-man squad, while wicket-keepers Brad Haddin and Tim Paine were both included.
Injured pair Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey – who picked up a hamstring injury in Sunday's win over England – were both named and will be given time to recover for next month's tournament.
The rest of the squad will play out the remainder of the seven-match ODI series against England.
"As the world's number one ranked one-day team and as the holders of both the ICC Cricket World Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy, Australia has been planning for this tournament for some time and we feel this side is well-balanced," chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said.
"One of the major decisions to be made in this squad was ensuring the balance was right in the squad to provide the best cover for all positions in the event of injury, illness or form issues that may arise.
"Nathan Hauritz is our preferred spin option and his one-day record in India is excellent. He will be an important part of our bid for this fourth World Cup. Doug Bollinger has also been a strong performer for us in one-day cricket in India in recent times and we expect him to have a big impact on the tournament.
"Victorian John Hastings has been selected as he adds variety to our bowling options. We feel his bowling is well suited to subcontinent conditions and his all-round skills with bat and ball add to the flexibility of the squad."
Australia's World Cup squad:
- Ricky Ponting (c) TAS (age: 36)
- Michael Clarke (vc) NSW (29)
- Doug Bollinger NSW (29)
- Brad Haddin NSW (33)
- John Hastings VIC (25)
- Nathan Hauritz NSW (29)
- David Hussey VIC (33)
- Mike Hussey WA (35)
- Mitchell Johnson WA (29)
- Brett Lee NSW (34)
- Tim Paine TAS (26)
- Steve Smith NSW (21)
- Shaun Tait SA (27)
- Shane Watson NSW (29)
- Cameron White VIC (27)
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