Veteran Australia batsman Chris Rogers will open the batting alongside Shane Watson in the first Ashes Test against England Darren Lehmann has made his first major selection call as Australia coach, confirming that veteran batsman Chris Rogers would open the batting alongside Shane Watson in the first Ashes Test. Having had his place confirmed, Rogers will soon get the chance to deliver on Lehmann's faith after he was named in the side to face Worcestershire in a final four-day warm-up starting at New Road tomorrow. The decision to install Rogers, a 35-year-old with extensive county cricket experience but just one Test cap over five years ago, at the top of the order appears to end David Warner's hopes of making the Trent Bridge opener against England on July 10. Warner was banned by Cricket Australia up to the first Test after he admitted punching England batsman Joe Root in a Birmingham bar following the teams' match at the Champions Trophy. The player had harboured hopes of making an immediate return to the side when Mickey Arthur was dramatically sacked and replaced by Lehmann just over a week ago, but he will now surely have to wait for his chance. Rogers' only previous appearance in the Baggy Green was in January 2008, when he made 15 and four against India, but he knows England well having spent time with Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Middlesex. He captained the latter in first half of this season, making 790 first-class runs at 65.83, including a top-score of 214 against Surrey. Rogers told Cricinfo: "Anyone who has been selected doesn't want to be a one-Test wonder. I had probably given up hope at times but I guess with the new selection committee and retirements of Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey it gave me a bit of hope that they would pick an older head. I can just enjoy it and really see that there is nothing to lose. I didn't expect this opportunity and hopefully I can play well. If that happens hopefully we can win a few games as well. Rogers will take specific inspiration from the Australian rugby union side, who, like their cricketing counterparts, went in as heavy underdogs in their series against the British and Irish Lions, but won at the weekend to take it to a deciding Test. "You can't write off an Australian side, we saw that with the Lions the other day," Rogers added on Sky Sports News. Hopefully we can shock a few people as well. Lehmann was eager to throw his support behind Rogers, but insists the composition the final XI has not yet been finalised. "Watson and Rogers will open the batting for Australia, I'm comfortable with that, they'll play the first Test," Lehmann said. All the rest are in the frame, but Rogers has obviously been picked for a reason by the previous selection panel and we're really comfortable with that, he's had a great summer here with Middlesex, made two big hundreds and been in good form. We're pretty close (to a Test side). It's one or two (undecided places) and we'll work those out over the next four or five days. All but two of a bumper 18-man touring party will have played against either Somerset or Worcestershire, after Australia made five changes for tomorrow's match. As well as Rogers replacing Usman Khawaja, it is all change in the bowling attack as Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc make way for Jackson Bird, Ryan Harris, Ashton Agar and Steven Smith. The banned Warner and back-up keeper Matthew Wade will be the only players not to have seen action before the series begins in Nottingham.