Cricket: Journeyman's test trip comes with a surprising twist

Ed Cowan has earned his right to open Australia's batting against India. Photo / Getty

Ed Cowan had booked his ticket to the Boxing Day test long before his name was read out by Cricket Australia yesterday.

His four hundreds for the summer had nothing to do with it - Cowan was scheduled to fly into Melbourne for day one at the MCG for his best mate's bucks party.

But thanks to two fruitful seasons for Tasmania in the Sheffield Shield, the left-hander has earned the right to open Australia's batting against India rather than sip beer with his buddies in Bay 13.

"Unfortunately I had to put the bucks day on hold but they'll still be there, probably with a banner saying, 'Cowan was meant to sit here' or something ridiculous like that," said Cowan, who hit 109 against India in the drawn game against the Chairman's XI at Canberra's Manuka Oval.

The journeyman of the Australian game became so embedded in the life of being a toiling domestic cricketer, he wrote a book about it.

The 29-year-old was in and out of the New South Wales side since his first-class debut back in 2003, but a brave move to Tasmania in 2009 proved the making of him. Cowan has made centuries when it's counted against the touring New Zealanders and his best yet against India, as well as two for the Tigers in the shield.

But the man himself knows his recent form is only the tip of the iceberg for the work he's put in.

"I've got nine first class hundreds the last two-and-a-half years so it's not four hundreds in four weeks and all of a sudden you're in the test team. It's 2 years of trying to dominate state cricket," he said.

Cowan was at dinner in Canberra with his godparents when he found out he was in the test team and came back to the table with "the hairs on my arms standing up".

"It's cliched, but you dream of it as a kid to play in a Boxing Day test," said Cowan, who described the late Peter Roebuck as one of his mentors.

"[Chairman of selectors] John Inverarity popped up on my phone so I thought, 'gee I better answer that one'. "[The selectors] laid out that challenge of scoring hundreds and I said, 'my job is to make your job as hard as possible,' and they said 'we look forward to you doing that,' so it's been really positive."

Opener Phil Hughes and No 3 Usman Khawaja, both out of the test, were unbeaten on 42 and 56 when the game with India ended, the Chairman's XI at 100 without loss in their second innings chasing 145 to win.

Ricky Ponting has another reprieve in the 13-man squad, with Shaun Marsh and swing bowler Ben Hilfenhaus, as well as Cowan, added from the second test loss to New Zealand at Hobart this month.

Marsh returns after recovering from a back injury suffered during the recent tour of South Africa. Fast bowler Hilfenhaus was recalled after some strong recent form at the domestic first-class level.

Allrounder Shane Watson remains sidelined through injury while Dan Christian is in the squad and could make his debut in Melbourne. Fast-medium Ryan Harris also missed out on fitness grounds.

Ponting, 37, has not scored a century in nearly two years, has averaged 50 just once in his past seven series and has made 323 runs at an average of 24 in seven tests over the past 12 months. It would be his 15th Boxing Day test.

Australian squad:
Michael Clarke (c), David Warner, Ed Cowan, Shaun Marsh, Ricky Ponting, Mike Hussey, Dan Christian, Brad Haddin, Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Ben Hilfenhaus, Nathan Lyon.

- AAP