Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes Queensland speed sensation Mitchell Johnson has thrust his name in front of selectors for this summer's Ashes series.
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Ponting said Johnson, who has turned in stunning performances in his past two matches, had put himself into contention for making his Test debut against England.
"His name will come up for sure," Ponting told reporters.
"I would imagine that he's going to be spoken about a lot coming into the first Test match because he's come along as quickly as he has and he's fitting into international cricket really well."
Johnson has impressed observers with his ability to swing the ball at pace and he has the advantage of being a left-armer, which would add another dimension to Australia's already impressive frontline trio of Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Shane Warne.
The Queenslander has grabbed 7-54 in his past two matches, including the prized scalps of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Kevin Pietersen.
"Mitchell has done everything right, he's performing on the big stage and getting good players out," Ponting said.
"If you look at the players he's got out in the games he's played, he got Lara and Sachin in Malaysia and he knocked over Pietersen here in India."
