Kinross product Chris Tremain is preparing to press to his claims for an Ashes berth in next week's mouth-watering, all-Australian selection showdown at Southampton, which pits the nation's best 25 against one another in an all-out assault on spots for the first Test next month.
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Tremain is one of 15 named for the four-day, 12-on-12 clash who are already in England as part of the Australia A side, seven players from the Aussies' World Cup campaign are also in the mix while amid their County campaigns Peter Siddle, Cam Bancroft and Manus Labuschagne will front up too.
Australian chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns said the core of the Ashes squad is already pencilled in, but he's looking forward to seeing what's anticipated to be a fierce battle between those on the fringe, with Tremain set to head-to-head with the likes of Australia's big three pacemen in Josh Hazelwood, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins.
At the moment I feel really good and I feel like I'm bowling well and my body feels good.
- Kinross product Chris Tremain
Siddle, Jackson Bird, Michael Neser and James Pattinson are the other quicks locked in for the clash, and while it remains to be seen how the two sides will be selected for the showdown Australian skipper Tim Paine threw his support behind a draft-style selection system.
Tremain has been on the fringe of Test selection for some time thanks to his ridiculous Sheffield Shield numbers in recent years, particularly last summer when he was named in Australia's 14-man squad for the first two Tests against India.
He was ultimately overlooked and sent back to Victoria to help his side go on and win the Sheffield Shield, and he actually said he's better prepared now should he earn his Baggy Green than he was then.
"Ironically enough I felt I wasn't at my peak then," Tremain told cricket.com.au earlier this month.
"All seasons ebb and flow a little bit and you have golden patches where you plateau out a bit. At the moment I feel really good and I feel like I'm bowling well and my body feels good.
"When I was in the Test squad my body wasn't good. I was gritting my teeth every day to get through training and I was crossing my fingers hoping one day I would wake up and feel good.
"Now it's not so much that. I'm fitter, I feel better, and I'm bowling well."
He went on to say he's holding no expectations regarding Ashes selection considering the bumper pace stocks Australia has, particularly with fellow Victorian Pattinson fit and firing, but at the very least knows he's physically ready for the test.
"My wife and child are [in England] ... and the furthest we've looked is extending our return flights about a week so we can spend a bit of time in London," Tremain said.
"That's as far as I've looked and if someone else wants to extend my stay then they can, but I'm pretty happy with what I've got going on at the moment.
"You're a little bit more excited now about the prospect of getting an opportunity because you feel you would perform.
"You might hit and stick rather than get an opportunity, be underdone, be sore, be cooked after 10 Shield games and barely be able to tie your shoelaces up and play your one Test and give your Baggy Green back and never get another opportunity."
The two most intriguing aspects of the clash outside the battle of the quicks appear to be the return of Steve Smith, David Warner and Cam Bancroft, along with the race to win the gloves for the first Test at Edgbaston.
This marks the first time Smith, Warner and Bancroft have been named in the same squad since last year's Cape Town incident, the trio having served their respective bans for their involvement in the ball-tampering saga.
Meanwhile skipper Paine is one of three wicketkeepers included in the squad along with Matthew Wade and One-Day International vice-captain Alex Carey, the latter is fresh off a breakout campaign at the World Cup. Although, Wade is expected to continue being considered largely as a batter.
The all-Australian selection shoot-out will be played from July 23-26 ahead of the first Ashes Test from August 1-5.
- SQUAD: Cameron Bancroft, Jackson Bird, Joe Burns, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Jon Holland, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, Tim Paine, Kurtis Patterson, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Peter Siddle, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Chris Tremain, Matthew Wade, David Warner
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