Former Test off-spinner Gavin Roberston says Nathan Hauritz deserves his place in the Australian line-up but admits the New South Welshman faces a fight to retain his spot this summer.
Having struggled to get a regular gig at state level in recent seasons, Hauritz has made the most of his international reprieve performing solidly in six Tests and 30 one-dayers since his return from a painful four-year exile last November.
The 28-year-old finger-spinner has managed 19 wickets at an average of 35 at Test level and has been among Australia's best performers with the ball in the 50-over format with 35 scalps to his credit in 2009.
"I look at two years ago with Nathan Hauritz and think about how he started to work in the nets on how he spun the ball and his line," Robertson told Sportal.
"And he didn't just come in to bowl dot balls and try and keep it tight, he became attacking and he really started to back himself."
"I think that was evident in the Champions League Twenty20 final where he went for six against their main batsman (Kieron Pollard) and then he goes again and gets him out."
"The hardest hurdle to overcome is the courage of that, to me Hauritz has courage. He's been through the cricket university of getting dropped and coming back."
But Robertson, who played four Tests and 13 one-day internationals from 1994-98, admits there is no shortage of quality candidates waiting to oust Hauritz.
"I think he is (the best man for the job) but I don't discount (Jason) Krejza and I don't discount Jon Holland, and I also think (leg-spinner) Steve Smith in the next couple of years will start to come along," he said.
Meanwhile, Robertson stressed the importance of finding a quality wrist spinner following the retirements of Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill.
"I think we need to find another leg-break bowler around who can start to put some pressure on that part of it. I don't know if Bryce McGain is completely gone, I actually thought Bryce McGain was quite good but he had a really finite opportunity and it didn't work out, maybe he deserves more," he said.
"We're now looking to identify the ones that have that talent and trying to grow that talent."
"Warney struggled when he was young and became this incredible bowler but he had amazing courage Shane Warne. He didn't care about being hit for six and that's one of the bigger things."