Hussey could be dropped for Ashes but Marcu North's spot is safe

MIKE Hussey may be only days away from being dropped for new batting gun Usman Khawaja, but Australia's feast-or-famine man Marcus North has been assured his Ashes spot is safe.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal national selectors are leaning towards the huge step of terminating Hussey's Test career if Mr Cricket does not arrest his disastrous batting decline while playing for Western Australia this week.

Hussey has now gone 28 Tests without a first-innings century and selectors have just about run out of patience with the man who was so prolific at the start of his Test career that he was even compared to the legendary Don Bradman.

Qualified pilot Khawaja, 23, has enjoyed a high-flying start to his first-class career with 1796 runs at 52.82. His highest score of 214 came in his first game of this summer.

While Hussey desperately needs runs in today's Shield game against Victoria at the MCG, North can relax as his spot for the Ashes series opener has been guaranteed by high-ranking insiders of the Australian set-up.

Bollinger will have his first outing in first-class cricket for ages today when he turns out for NSW in the Shield game against Tasmania at the SCG.

In a possible hint that Siddle is very much in the Ashes frame, the Victorian has been rested from playing for his state this week.