Cricket:Mike Hussey will lead the Australians against Northamptonshire after the tourists opted to rest Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke from the three-day fixture, while Brett Lee has still not recovered from a side strain.
Australia are looking to regroup after falling 1-0 down in the Ashes with a 115-run defeat in the second Test at Lord's.
Several of the touring party, most notably pace bowling spearhead Mitchell Johnson and opening batsman Phil Hughes, are hoping to rediscover their touch at Wantage Road.
Australia have named a 12-man squad for the fixture, including all of their fit fast bowlers, but there is no place for Lee who is not ready to return following a side strain.
Lee suffered the injury in the final warm-up match before the series opener and now appears almost certain to miss the third Test at Edgbaston (Jul 30-Aug 3).
Hussey's chief concern against Northants will be to coax Johnson back into form after he suffered a torrid time in the opening two Tests.
Much was expected of the Queensland left-armer on his first Ashes tour but he has thus far struggled to adapt to English conditions.
"He seems comfortable and was focused at training," Hussey said of Johnson.
"Him and (bowling coach) Troy Cooley are very clear on what they need to work on.
"Hopefully he can come into the game in a good frame of mind and clear on what he wants to work on and can get his confidence right up for the next Test.
"I don't want to bowl him into the ground as there is just over a week until the (third) Test starts.
"I don't want him punching out 25-30 overs in an innings or anything like that.
"I'll communicate with him and see how he's feeling, and also take into account the situation of the game."
On Hughes, Hussey added: "He's going great. He's a great guy to have around the group, a very relaxed character.
"I'm not concerned about him at all."
Hussey admitted Australia's prospects at Edgbaston have been boosted by the news England batsman Kevin Pietersen will miss the remainder of the series after undergoing Achilles surgery.
"It's a big loss for the England team, he has been a quality batsman for a long period of time," Hussey added. "They are definitely going to miss him.
"He's played well against Australia and is probably the lynchpin in that batter order.
"To not have him there has got to be a plus for us.
"They have some good replacements who can come in and do a very good job - if you lose one player it doesn't necessarily mean you are going to win or lose the series."