Ashes auditions come second to state ambitions as Sheffield Shield resumes this weekend

Cricket watchers have the Ashes front of mind as the Sheffield Shield resumes with five of the incumbent Test top six in play around the country but the players aren’t losing focus.

Will Pucovski in action for Victoria.

Cricket watchers have the Ashes front of mind as the Sheffield Shield resumes with five of the incumbent Test top six in play around the country.

But veteran quick Peter Siddle said the Test series in England, which doesn’t begin until the first match at Edgbaston in August, was far enough away for the players not to think too much about it.

Test openers Marcus Harris and Joe Burns go head-to-head at the Junction Oval as Victoria take on Queensland, with Marnus Labuschange also turning out for the Bulls.

OPENERS: AUSSIES TAKE FLEXIBLE APPROACH TO ORDER

VICTORIA: HARRIS IGNORES NOISE TO FOCUS ON SHIELD

SHIELD: WADE TARGETS ASHES BERTH WITH TASMANIA

New number six Kurtis Patterson will be playing for NSW against WA with former opener Cameron Bancroft playing his first game for Western Australia since the ball-tampering scandal.

At the Adelaide Oval Travis Head will captain South Australia against Tasmania and Test aspirant Matthew Wade, who is set to bat up the order, as requested by selectors.

Runs, especially against the English Dukes ball which is being used for the second half of the season, are certain to provide ammunition for squad predictions.

Marcus Harris in action for Australia against Sri Lanka.

Joe Burns in action for Australia against Sri Lanka.

(From left) Travis Head, Kurtis Patterson, Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja celebrate the win over Sri Lanka.

But Siddle, who spent the home summer touring with but not playing for the Test team, is just excited to play cricket again after an interrupted few months.

The 34-year-old, who will return to England as soon as the Shield season finishes and has his own Ashes ambitions, said it was too early to have thoughts clouded by what could happen later this year.

“When the Test tours are closer, if you have a March or April one, the boys are thinking about that. But it is so far away you can focus on the game at hand,” Siddle said.

“Even though there is that expectation, and the chance of being selected further down the track, the boys are focused on now.

“There’s a lot of cricket to be played in the winter, but maybe more at the back of the season boys will be more inclined to think about it.”

Travis Dean will captain the Vics in the absence of Peter Handscomb.

Young gun Will Pucvoski will play just his second match after missing Test selection having made a return in club cricket last weekend.