Voges, Nevill far from comfortable

There's little to suggest Adam Voges and Peter Nevill will be on the outer of the Test side any time soon, but both know that can change very quickly.

Despite being named Australia's vice-captain for the aborted tour of Bangladesh, batsman Adam Voges remains nervous about his place in the XI.

Peter Nevill is much the same, fully aware he's only a few poor performances away from being dropped in favour of ODI keeper Matthew Wade.

Voges and Nevill aren't among the first players picked in the side, but there's little to suggest they won't play all six Tests this summer.

Yet national selectors are hesitant to make guarantees of any description, especially in a time of transition.

"Yep, I'm 36," Voges said, when asked if he was nervous about being picked for the three-Test series against New Zealand.

"I've just got to make sure that I'm performing well enough to keep my place and hopefully help win Test matches.

"There's never going to be any guarantees.

Nevill, who like Voges is coming off his first Test on home soil, agrees.

"With any position in the team, if you're not performing, you're going to come under pressure," Nevill said.

"I think that's always going to be there."

Voges struggled early in the Ashes, but finished the tour with a pair of half-centuries.

It was enough to not only warrant selection for the next tour, but a leadership post, given David Warner was on the sidelines with a broken thumb.

Voges was obviously disappointed the two-Test tour of Bangladesh didn't go ahead, but the upside was a chance to finetune his approach before NZ arrived.

"It was probably a good thing that I was able to just go out there and play some cricket," he said.

"My focus changed to playing well for WA, which is all I've done for the last 5-10 years."

An unbeaten knock of 83 followed in the first Test at the Gabba, with Voges feeling confident as he prepared to finally play a Test at home.

"I got picked in a squad in 2006 ... it's been a long time between then and now," he said.

"I'm starting to get a bit goosebumpy and really looking forward to it.

"It's where I've played my cricket all my life. There will be nothing out there that I haven't seen before or experienced before."

Nevill, yet to have a decent hit for NSW or Australia since returning from England, noted he'd enjoyed batting at the venue in the past.

"It's one of those places that when you get in, it's a lovely time to bat," he said.


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Source: AAP



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