Australian captain and NSW SpeedBlitz Blues batsman Michael Clarke
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NSW SpeedBlitz Blues players Michael Clarke, Pat Cummins, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Starc, Shane Watson and David Warner have been awarded Cricket Australia contracts for the 2012/13 season.

The National Selection Panel (NSP) today named a 17-man squad with players picked on the following criteria:

-          Form over the past 12 months

-          Likelihood of Australian selection over the next 12 months taking into account the formats of cricket Australia plays, balance of the side and the need to ensure the future development of the Test and Limited Overs teams.

-          The weighting for Tests outweighs ODI, which outweighs T20. The weight of Tests was also strengthened following the Australian Team Performance review outcomes.

Commenting on the CA contract list for 2012-13, National Selector John Inverarity said:

“Following the recommendations of the Australian Team Performance Review and negotiations between CA and the ACA, the NSP today announces a Contract List of 17 players, a reduction in numbers of nearly one-third from the 25 of recent years.

“Naming just 17 players initially, with the ability to upgrade others, as and when performance warrants, ensures a tighter alignment between current performance, recognition and reward.”

The full list of contracted players is as follows: Michael Clarke, Pat Cummins, Xavier Doherty, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Ben Hilfenhaus, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Lyon, James Pattinson, Ricky Ponting, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, Shane Watson, David Warner.