Sydney, July 5(ANI): Australia's chief selector John Inverarity is unhappy with the quality of batsmen present in the country, and admitted that George Bailey, Peter Forrest and veteran David Hussey are 'the best they've got' outside the Test team.

All three are on the current one-day international tour of England and have been identified as the likely replacements if old guard Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey aren't around for next year's Ashes series.

Inverarity said he would favor the batting depth to be as rich as it was in the days when there were sometimes up to a dozen players such as Darren Lehmann, Damien Martyn, Stuart Law and Jamie Cox, scoring a mountain of domestic runs, but unable to crack a Test spot.

"There was for a long period the top six, and then there were another eight or nine who were prolific and consistent run-scorers. At this point in history, there are not as many prolific run-scorers outside the Test team, as was the case seven, eight or 10 years ago," The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Inverarity, as saying.

"I don't have the answer to it. Whether it's a cyclic thing, or people going to other sports or the influence of T20. I don't know," he added.

Inverarity said selectors are pleased with the development of Forrest and Bailey, but they are hardly in the prolific category as yet.

"When you select, you do the best you can with the material that you've got. Obviously a couple of those [Ponting and Michael Hussey] are getting on in years and we're really trying to see who the next replacement batsmen are. They're the best we've got," Inverarity said.

"We made a decision six months [ago] if through lack of form, or retirement, or injury there was a place, we don't want these blokes making their international debuts at Lord's in a Test match," he added. (ANI)