Second Ashes Test: Clarke gets ball rolling, naming team he'd like to beat

Michael Clarke has repeated his pre-Brisbane wind-up of selecting the England team he expects to face over the next five days in Adelaide.

Clarke's initial reluctance when asked the question at his pre-match media conference quickly melted away, and he nominated Joe Root to take Jonathan Trott's position at No 3, Gary Ballance to make his Test debut at six, and Tim Bresnan to replace Chris Tremlett in the bowling attack – although the Australia captain added he “wouldn't be surprised” if England select Monty Panesar as a second specialist spinner.

“But I think they'll go safety, Bresnan and Ballance,” said Clarke, who confirmed the ankle he rolled in training on Monday “feels fine”. “Joe Root at three, Ballance at six and Bresnan wherever he bats, eight or nine.”

Alastair Cook maintained England's policy of keeping their cards close to their chest for as long as possible, risking a paranoid contrast with Clarke's willingness to confirm Australia will be unchanged. They have resisted the temptation to select James Faulkner as an extra bowler largely because Shane Watson will be able to bowl more overs than in Brisbane after another 10 days to recover from his hamstring problem.

Clarke also confirmed he had held talks with Jeff Crowe, the International Cricket Council referee, over the standards of behaviour expected for the remainder of the series when he was fined for overstepping the mark in the fiery closing stages in Brisbane.

“I had that conversation when I received my penalty,” he said. “We all know the line you can't cross. The respect for the England team is there.”

Cook said England have now decided on who will replace Trott at No 3 and repeated that selecting Panesar remains a possibility. Perhaps significantly, Mushtaq Ahmed, the team's specialist spin-bowling coach, was involved in long conversations on the square with Cook and the team director, Andy Flower, before the media conference – and had also studied the pitch in detail with Panesar on Tuesday.