Ed Cowan backs George Bailey as Ashes debut looms Debut looms: George Bailey has sought the advice of other recent Test players. As Australian cricket sweats on how George Bailey will fare on debut, there's one innings lingering in Ed Cowan's mind that tells him his long-time Tasmanian teammate is Test material. A special innings is required from the captain if Tasmania is to save the game let alone win it. It will be not be easy either. This is no ordinary shield attack he is facing. Their support acts are wily seamer Damien Wright, who retired with 408 first-class wickets, and promising finger-spinner Jon Holland. Against the odds, Tasmania makes the run chase appear easier than it should, winning by five wickets thanks largely to Bailey, who bats for 5½ hours to make an unbeaten 160. Cowan describes the innings, more than half of Tasmania's total, as incredible. The deal was sealed last month when he averaged a Bradmanesque 95 in the one-day international series against India. But the sceptics will point to his unremarkable first-class average of 38 and a poor shield campaign last summer when he averaged only 18, albeit playing largely on a seam-friendly Bellerive Oval in Hobart. Shield scores of 34, 41, 37 and 16 in the past fortnight have given his critics more fuel. "Everyone loves pointing to last season in shield cricket and by his own admission he had a poor season, but the year before that he averaged well over 50 and the year before that he was at the top of the runs as well," Cowan said. It's easy for people to look at that, but he's had a great career. He's a brilliant captain and been playing fantastic one-day cricket. Cowan, who top-scored with 68 on Test debut, believes Bailey's chances of succeeding this week will improve if he enjoys the occasion. That has become a familiar piece of advice for Bailey. He has been tapping the mind of last year's Gabba debutant Rob Quiney about how to handle the occasion. Quiney played two Tests against South Africa last summer before being bundled out of the team when he made a pair in Adelaide last November. Bailey said he spoke to him in Hobart, where Tasmania was defeated by Victoria on Saturday, with the almost forgotten Australian No.3 of last summer producing his fourth half-century of the Sheffield Shield season from only three matches. Quiney's Test career was aborted before it could gather any momentum but Australia's Twenty20 captain was keen to hear his advice. Translation: you don't know what you've got until it's gone. The main message from him was to make sure you enjoy it, which is the main message that past players have drilled into me.