Sydney, Dec 23 : Australian Test selectors are under heavy pressure to justify their sudden axing of spinner Jason Krejza after just one match for Nathan Hauritz.

There has been widespread support for selectors continuing with out-of-form Matthew Hayden and Brett Lee, but Krejza's dumping had former Australia Test spinners deeply concerned.

They condemned the "spin cycle" policy of constant rotation of Australian tweakers since the retirement of Shane Warne two years ago, FOX Sports reported.

Perth, Dec. 16 : Australia have included off-spinner Jason Krejza in their side and named pace-bowling all-rounder Shane Watson as 12th man for Wednesday''s first Test against South Africa at the WACA.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting said he expected the pitch to have some early life on day one for the quick bowlers but the home team would need some variety in their attack as the match wore on.

Sydney, Dec 15 : Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke has reinforced the worth of a spinner in Perth, despite the WACA's reputation as a spin bowler's graveyard.

Clarke insisted, though, that the decision on whether to play Jason Krejza instead of a fourth paceman would not be coloured by the result of last January's Perth Test, in which the home team fielded four quicks only for India to win by 72 runs, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

History has not been kind to spinners in Perth, where Indian legend Bishan Bedi is the only slow bowler to have claimed 10 wickets in a match, and the great Shane Warne did not gather more than six victims in a Test.

Sydney, Dec 11 : South African batsman A. B. de Villiers has rated Australia's rookie finger spinner Jason Krejza as "nothing too special".

These have been a trying few weeks for Krejza, omitted from the Gabba Test 10 days after a 12-wicket debut in Nagpur, then injured on the eve of the second Test against New Zealand, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Melbourne, Dec 10: Australia offspinner Jason Krejza has declared himself fit for the first Test against South Africa next week.

The match starts in Perth on December 17 and Krejza, with a new ankle brace, is already planning a follow-up to his 12-wicket haul in his debut Test in India last month.

Krejza twisted his right ankle during training before the second Test against New Zealand in Adelaide, which ruled him out of the contest. He had been set for a recall after missing out at the Gabba, but his injury gave Nathan Hauritz an unexpected chance.

Melbourne, Dec. 9 : The chairman of Australia’s cricket selection committee, Andrew Hilditch, has said that off-spinner Jason Krejza could be preferred to all rounder Shane Watson for the first Test against the South Africans, beginning next week.

According to Fox Sports, Krejza appears to be the favourite to play ahead of the recalled Shane Watson despite Watson''s outstanding Sheffield Shield match for Queensland last week, when he claimed 7-69 and then scored 81.

"The likelihood is we will play a spinner in Perth. They bowl pretty well there. The breeze suits them, particularly off-spinners. Generally it is a pretty good place to bowl spin," Hilditch said.