Aussies back in the saddle in Jamaica

Australia stepped up preparations for the opening match of their West Indies cricket tour with a lengthy net and field session at Sabina Park.

After a light outing on Tuesday to shake off two days of travelling, Ricky Ponting and his men spent more than two hours in the blazing Jamaican sun as they began to look ahead to Friday's three-day match against a Jamaican XI at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium.

Chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch is due to arrive in Kingston later Thursday to discuss team selections for the match, which will be Australia's only hit out before the first Test starting next Thursday.

After a two-month break since their last international, Australia are expected to field close to their best XI.

Of most interest will likely be the performances of NSW batsman Simon Katich and Queensland all-rounder Ashley Noffke, who - provided both are selected in the tour match - could be challenging each other for Michael Clarke's spot in the Test team.

Clarke is highly unlikely to play in the first Test with the vice-captain still in Australia supporting fiancee Lara Bingle following the death of her father.

Katich was selected as the back-up batsman in the original touring squad, with selectors also likely to consider the merits of including Noffke to give Australia a fifth bowling option.

After more than 2 1/2 years out of the Test team, Katich said he felt like one of the "fresh faces" in the touring squad.

"It's been a while being out of the team, I'm probably as excited now as anyone to be back in the squad," Katich said.

"It's changed enormously. I was thinking about it the other day. There was about eight different faces, possibly more, from the last time, so it certainly does have a different feel about it than a few years ago.

"It's something that you never take for granted, being in the team after having been out of it. It's something that has hurt and it's nice to have clawed my way back."