Oz may need heavy hitter

Australia are pondering whether to recall controversial batsman David Warner for their must-win third Ashes Test against England at Old Trafford starting today.

Top-order batting has long been Australia's Achilles heel and so it proved in a crushing 347-run second Test defeat at Lord's, where the tourists were skittled out for just 128 in their first innings.

England lead the five-match series 2-0 and Australia need to win in Manchester if their hopes of regaining the Ashes are not to be extinguished - a drawn series would see holders England retain the urn.

Australia, following a 4-0 series reverse in India earlier this year, have suffered six successive Test defeats for the first time since 1984 - they last lost seven in a row in the 19th century.

Warner missed the first two Tests of the current series, having been suspended in the run-up to the Ashes for punching England's Joe Root in a Birmingham bar after Australia lost a Champions Trophy match to their arch-rivals last month.

Instead the 26-year-old opener joined up with Australia A, for whom he made 193 against South Africa A in Pretoria last week before becoming embroiled in a sledging row with the home side's wicketkeeper.

Former Australia captain Ian Chappell is adamant that, if selected, Warner must open, as that would give him the best chance of imposing his game on England's bowlers.

For that to happen, Australia coach Darren Lehmann would have to give up on at least half of his chosen first-wicket duo of Shane Watson and Chris Rogers.

A middle-order berth could be found for Warner if Australia drop Phil Hughes, or Steven Smith fails to recover in time from a back injury that saw him miss training on Tuesday.

Australia's batsmen, none of whom, including world-class strokeplayer and captain Michael Clarke, have yet made a hundred this Ashes, are assailed by conflicting advice, be it "play your natural game" or "bat time".

Rogers has scored just 89 runs in four innings this series.

It always seemed unlikely an Australia pace attack with a history of injury problems would last the whole of the Ashes. So it was no great surprise when James Pattinson, who played at Lord's, was ruled out of the rest of the tour with a stress fracture of the back.

Jackson Bird and left-armer Mitchell Starc are vying to replace Pattinson while, given Old Trafford's reputation for being a turning pitch, Australia also have some tricky decisions regarding spin bowling.

Do they field two spinners, and if they stick with only one, do they replace teenager Ashton Agar, wicketless at Lord's on a spin-friendly surface, with unlucky off-spinner Nathan Lyon, left out of the first two Tests?

England have called up left-armer Monty Panesar into their squad to supplement the off-breaks of Graeme Swann, joint leading bowler in the series alongside England spearhead James Anderson with 13 wickets. - Sapa-AFP