Nathan Hauritz

Warren Lynam/Sunshine Coast Daily

MARYBOROUGH-BORN Geoff Dymock has worn the famous baggy green cap playing Test cricket for Australia during an Ashes series.

Now he's backing Hervey Bay's Nathan Hauritz to do the same and be in the Australian line-up when the first Test starts in Cardiff tonight.

The 27-year-old Hauritz, an off-spinner, has not been at his wicket-taking best in the two tour games to-date (he has combined figures of two for 260 from 68.2 overs) but Dymock said that was then and this is now.

“I know there are three part-time spinners in the Australian team but if the wicket is going to turn as much as they say it will then we need a specialist spinner - Nathan is the only one in the squad, he's our number one,” said Dymock, a left-arm fast-medium bowler who played in the 1974-75 and 1978-79 Ashes series.

“Nathan may not have made the impact on the tour that he would have like too have done so far but he has proved he can bowl well at this level before and I have faith in him to get the job done.

“They (the selectors) should stick with him because playing on a wicket like this will also give him the chance to regain some confidence.

“If I was an Australian selector I would certainly play him - I think it would be a big mistake if they didn't pick him.”

Dymock, 63, who played his cricket for Australs in Maryborough, represented Australia in 21 Tests (78 wickets) and 15 one-day Internationals (15 wickets).

He said he expected this Ashes series to be a lot closer than some former Australian players like Glenn McGrath seem to think.

“I hear McGrath reckons it's going to be 5-0 to Australia,” Dymock said.

“There is no way it's going to be as one-sided as that.

“Australia has got a lot of hard work to do if they want to retain the Ashes in books because England looks a much better team than they were when we won 5-0 in 2007.”