Gilchrist bats for regular opening partner

Adam Gilchrist, the stand-in captain, has called for a regular opening partnership to be established ahead of the 2007 World Cup and has thrown his weight behind Simon Katich. Gilchrist's support has come after consistent calls for Phil Jaques, the New South Wales opener who made 94 on debut, to be given a regular place.

"I think any team that's settled is going to benefit from that regularity and being familiar with eachother," Gilchrist said in The Age. "For the best part of my career I've had two regular partners in Mark [Waugh] and then Matty [Hayden] and I'm starting to have batted a number of times with Kato [Katich].

"You'd have to ask the selectors what they're going to do with batting positions, but Simon has been very consistent since he's come in as opener. He hasn't nailed a big score, he knows that, but he's certainly been the one that's been the more consistent in getting the team off to a decent start. He's getting comfortable in that position and learning it.

"Everyone would like a regular batting line-up well and truly settled leading into the World Cup. It's still 12 months away [so] there is still a fair bit of time to get that settled."

Katich is feeling tremendous pressure from the in-form Jaques. "[Opener] is where I've played for NSW, and that's where I feel comfortable batting," Katich said in the Sydney Morning Herald. "But obviously I've got to replicate that form for Australia. So far I've been relatively consistent but I haven't got any big scores, which I need to do. That's been frustrating. [Jaques] batted really well. Whether all three of us can coexist I'm not sure."

Jaques has been turning on the heat, averaging 104 and 56.55 in the ING and Pura cups this season, and with his 138 against Tasmania on Wednesday he became the first batsman in Australian domestic one-day history to hit four centuries in a summer. "I'll just be working twice as hard." Jaques told AAP. "I've just got to go out and do my business and hopefully I can't be ignored. I suppose the more runs you score the more the pressure mounts."

Michael Clarke is another contender for the opening job and has liked the role in his brief stints. "I do enjoy it," Clarke told AAP. "I enjoyed the VB series last summer when Matty Hayden and Gilly had a rest. Unfortunately it's just too hard to get up there, the boys do so well there. Gilly and Kato have been fantastic. For me, I have to bide my time. I don't mind batting six for Australia in the one-day team either."