Clarke, Harris, Siddle to miss Shield game

Skipper Michael Clarke and pacers Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle will miss this week’s Sheffield Shield matches ahead of the Ashes opener against England, Cricket Australia said on Sunday.  Instead, the three will prepare for the first Test starting November 21 at CA’s new high performance facility in Brisbane.  CA’s policy of resting fast bowlers from four-day Shield games has been criticised by former Test quicks Glenn McGrath and Geoff Lawson for over-protection. But national team coach Darren Lehmann has backed CA’s moves, saying it was sensible to take a cautious approach ahead of the five-Test series. ‘We’re very pleased with Michael’s preparation ahead of the first Test,’ Lehmann said in a statement of Clarke.