Dogged Bosisto's Shield reward
Will Bosisto survived 360 deliveries in his past three innings at club and second XI level to underline his old-school ability to defy bowling attacks in the manner of his coach, Justin Langer.
But the 20-year-old's ability to soak up pressure will be tested in a more extreme environment this week.
Bosisto is set to make his Sheffield Shield debut against a potential Test attack at the MCG as WA continues to develop for the future by blooding their most promising young players.
The right-hander, who captained the Australian team into the final of the last under-19 World Cup, is likely to play alongside fellow tyro Cameron Bancroft in a team that will showcase WA's extremes of experience.
Bosisto made 51 off 130 balls in University's last match and his pair of 40s against NSW in last week's Futures League match absorbed more than 230 balls.
His elevation comes at the expense of young opener Marcus Harris, who was sent home from the Ryobi Cup campaign after the opening two matches.
Harris has more than 1000 first-class runs and two centuries but has passed 50 just once in his past 15 innings in all formats.
The left-hander's diabolical run out in the first Ryobi Cup match and his modest fielding have tested the patience of the WA selectors, who are trying to build a team of smart and energetic players.
Veteran Marcus North is likely to open the batting in place of Harris while Bosisto, who fills that role for his club team University, is set to bat in a middle order that could include his clubmate Ashton Agar. North spent much of his junior career as an opener but has rarely started the innings during a career that saw him score five Test centuries as a classy middle-order batsman.
Agar will have to pass a fitness test on his injured right hand before his selection is confirmed.
The two-Test spinner severely split the webbing during this month's Ryobi Cup campaign and was forced to miss WA's final three matches.
He batted in the WACA Ground nets yesterday but was troubled by the injury and will not be able to play club cricket today.
WA could not consider opener Liam Davis (broken finger), paceman Joel Paris (torn quad) and all-rounder Mitch Marsh (ham- string) against a powerful Victorian team that is set to include Ashes certainties Chris Rogers and Peter Siddle and several other candidates in Bob Quiney, Matthew Wade, John Hastings and Fawad Ahmed.
Marsh may be able to return to action with the WA XI that will take on England at the WACA Ground this week in a game that coincides with the first round of shield matches.
Victorian spinner Jon Holland may be used to bolster the WA team.
Claremont-Nedlands all-rounder Jim Allenby, who plays for Glamorgan and made one Twenty20 appearance for WA six years ago, is in line to play.
LIKELY TEAMS *
_WESTERN AUSTRALIA: _ Marcus North, Cameron Bancroft, Shaun Marsh, John Rogers, Will Bosisto, Ashton Agar, Sam Whiteman, Nathan Rimmington, Jason Behrendorff, Michael Beer (capt.), Michael Hogan.
_VICTORIA _: Chris Rogers, Michael Hill, Bob Quiney, Cameron White, David Hussey, Matthew Wade (capt.), Dan Christian, John Hastings, Peter Siddle, Will Sheridan, Fawad Ahmed.
