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Harmison primed for Sydney Test
10/14/2005
Steve Harmison looks certain to play for the World XI in their six-day Test against Australia Friday, reports BBC.
He has made the last 12, and will now join fellow Englishman Andrew Flintoff in the side with Shoaib Akhtar dropped.
For Australia, leg-spinner Stuart MacGill comes in for injured Shaun Tait and will partner Shane Warne, while all-rounder Shane Watson also plays.
With the World XI set to field Muttiah Muralitharan and Daniel Vettori, four specialist spinners will be on show.
One of Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid, who each played in all three matches of the one-day series without distinction, will probably make way.
Shoaib was left out of the Pakistani tour to the West Indies last May over fitness concerns, but World XI captain Graeme Smith said: "It's got nothing to do with his weight, or anything like that, we've just left him out.
"We felt that he wouldn't fit into the 11 or 12 that we wanted to pick so that's why we've left him out."
Smith has also appealed to his team-mates to show some heart as they attempt to avenge the 3-0 defeat in the one-day Super Series.
He continued: "I'm looking for them to take greater responsibility for themselves going into this Test match, respect for each other and respect for yourself.
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