BRISBANE, Nov 13 AAP – Elevated batsman Lee Carseldine can’t wait to step into big shoes on the Gabba deck against Tasmania this week after enduring Queensland’s recent four wicket Pura Cup loss to Victoria at the MCG.

Wayne Heming13-Nov-2002BRISBANE, Nov 13 AAP – Elevated batsman Lee Carseldine can’t wait to step into big shoes on the Gabba deck against Tasmania this week after enduring Queensland’s recent four wicket Pura Cup loss to Victoria at the MCG.Selectors have promoted Carseldine for the Bulls’ Pura Cup clash – starting on Friday – to the pressure No.3 spot so competently filled by Martin Love.Class batsman Love is one of four Bulls players in Australia’s A side to play England in a three-day game in Hobart, also starting on Friday.With Bulls skipper Jimmy Maher captaining the Australia A side which also includes state teammates Nathan Hauritz and Ashley Noffke, long-serving bowler Michael Kasprowicz will have the honour of leading Queensland for the first time in his career.Kasprowicz will be the first bowler in more than a decade to captain the Bulls since Carl Rackemann had the job in the early 1990s before Stuart Law took them to an historic final win.Carseldine, who has a first class average of 71.66 in three matches aided by a first-up Pura Cup century against New South Wales, said he was looking forward to the challenge of moving from six to three in the batting order.”It’s definitely an opportunity with Jimmy and Lovey away to make a significant impression,” he said.Carseldine admitted it had taken him longer than expected to slot into a side which had presented limited opportunities since his debut against Tasmania in 1998-99.”Batting at number three is a different role but at the end of the day you have to bat well and make runs,” said the left-handed all-rounder.”I’m more comfortable in the team now, but it took a little longer to settle in because I wasn’t a regular and it was hard to get into the side in the mid-1990s.”Carseldine, who toiled hard on a difficult MCG deck in Queensland’s four wicket loss to the Vics on Monday, is looking forward to padding up at the Gabba which is most dangerous in the first few sessions on the first day.”At the Gabba if you survive those few sessions it gets easier while at the MCG the longer you stayed at the crease the tougher it got,” said Carseldine who fell to a “shooter ball” for 21 in the first innings and ground out 19 off 79 balls in the second.”It was a low, skidding wicket and the ball was going Irish (reverse swing) early.”It was like nothing I had experienced.”We lost by four wickets but we adapted well to balls that were rolling on the ground and a few decisions so the result could easily have been different.”We got first innings points but lost outright but we weren’t going to bash ourselves up over it.”Kasprowicz has a winning record as a first class captain, leading Leicestershire to victory in the 1999 English county season in his only appearance as skipper.The Bulls selectors have recalled rookies Daniel Payne and Scott Brant for the match against the Ricky Ponting-led Tigers.Payne is expected to open the innings alongside Brendan Nash while left-arm seamer Brant will vie with Damien MacKenzie for the fourth bowling spot alongside pacemen Andy Bichel, back from Test duty, Kasprowicz and Joe Dawes.The Tigers, who lost last year’s Pura Cup final to the Bulls at the Gabba, are coming off two outright losses but will have Australian one-day skipper Ponting back for the clash along with highly rated allrounder Shane Watson.Bulls: Brendan Nash, Daniel Payne, Clinton Perren, Stuart Law, Andrew Symonds, Lee Carseldine, Wade Seccombe, Andy Bichel, Michael Kasprowicz (capt), Joe Dawes, Damien MacKenzie, Scott Brant (12th man to be named).Tigers: Ricky Ponting (capt), Jamie Cox, Michael Di Venuto, Michael Dighton, Shane Watson, Daniel Marsh, Sean Clingeleffer, Damien Wright, Scott Kremerskothen, David Saker, Shane Jurgensen, Xavier Doherty (12th man to be named).