Fast bowler Jackson Bird put his hand up for third Test selection with a dynamic performance for Australia on day two of the match against county cricket side Sussex in Hove.
Bird was virtually unplayable through much of his 14 overs on Saturday, attacking the batsmen's defences at every chance and taking 2-33 with five maidens.
When rain forced an early stumps, Sussex were 5-228 after 64 overs in response to Australia's first innings of 5-366 declared.
Sussex trail by 138 runs in the three-day game, meaning a soggy draw is almost certain.
The Australians batted for just 2.4 overs on Saturday, calling time as soon as Steve Smith brought up his hundred.
Smith scored an impressive 102 not out, smashing Monty Panesar for four to bring up the milestone.
The Australians took three wickets to leave Sussex 3-33, before Rory Hamilton-Brown exploded with a dynamic 73 from 55 balls and England hopeful James Taylor played a watchful innings of 64 not out.
Taylor is on standby for the third Test if England star Kevin Pietersen can't recover in time from a calf strain.
Bird was shaping the ball away brilliantly from the right-hander from the moment he took the new ball, and was unlucky not to inflict more damage.
With James Pattinson to miss the rest of the tour with stress fractures, Bird, Mitchell Starc and James Faulkner are essentially bowling off at Hove for a start in the third Test at Old Trafford next week.
Starc's left-arm strike ability probably had him as the favourite to be called up for Manchester, but he was a little wayward with the new ball on Saturday.
He had similar figures to Bird; 1-28 from 13 overs, with three maidens, however he didn't threaten as much as he should have.
Starc was often down the leg side or bowling too wide for the batsmen to bother with.
The young quick was inconsistent in the first Test at Trent Bridge, was dropped for the second Test at Lord's and Australia need him to be sharper from the get-go.
Bird bowled consistent line and length and finally got his reward when he destroyed the stumps of opener Luke Wells.
Starc got Michael Yardy to hook loosely three overs later, and Ashton Agar took a sitter at fine leg.
Bird then pounced on Chris Nash, who had made it to 27.
After having his measure for the early overs, Bird got him fending at one outside off stump and the catch carried safely to Smith at second slip.
Bird could have had Taylor as his third, but Smith put down a sharp chance low to his left.
Nathan Lyon didn't have the blockbusting performance he would have been hoping for in his bid to force his way back into the Test team for Old Trafford.
The offspinner had figures of 0-65 from 18 overs.
Ashton Agar went for six an over, but did finally take the wicket of danger man Hamilton-Brown.
In the 20th over of the innings, Lyon was dispatched for four boundaries by Hamilton-Brown, who had also whacked the offspinner for six in the previous over.
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