Australia have won the toss and elected to bat in their three-day tour match against Sussex at Hove.

Stand-in captain Ed Cowan and the entire Australian batting order desperately need runs and time in the middle, with England just one win away from sealing the Ashes.

The pitch at Hove appears very flat, with the outfield fast and the boundaries short.

A run feast awaits.

It’s an ideal opportunity for the struggling batsmen to play themselves into some form and gain much-needed confidence.

David Warner’s 193 for Australia A in Pretoria has put even more pressure on the likes of Phil Hughes, Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja to fire at Hove and cement their places in the team for the third Test at Old Trafford from Thursday.

Cowan and Hughes will open the batting, with Khawaja to come in at No.3 and Smith at 4.

Wicketkeeper Matt Wade will bat at No.5, and has an outside chance of making the Old Trafford team as a batsman should he score a ton.

Batsman James Taylor will play for Sussex, as England selectors eye him as a potential replacement for Kevin Pietersen in the third Test, should he not recover in time from a calf strain.

However, Taylor will have to wait for his turn to bat.

Australia have picked 20-year-old Western Australian spinner Ashton Turner to make his first-class debut, with several Ashes squad members being rested.

Australia: Ed Cowan (capt), Phil Hughes, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade, James Faulkner, Ashton Agar, Ashton Turner, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Jackson Bird.

Sussex: Chris Nash, Luke Wells, Michael Yardy, James Taylor, Rory Hamilton-Brown, Matt Machan, Callum Jackson, Chris Jordan, Chris Liddle, Lewis Hatchett, Monty Panesar