A rejuvenated Michael Clarke has backed Western Australian Mike Hussey to move up the batting order and occupy the No. 4 spot vacated by the recently retired Damien Martyn.
His call comes despite his own excellent form since returning to the Test line-up, but Clarke's says focus remains cementing his spot down the order - a spot he surprisingly believes he would have lost had Martyn not retired or all-rounder Shane Watson regained full fitness.
"I haven't spoken to anyone, but I'd assume I wouldn't go back (to No. 4) - I don't even really want to think about it," Clarke told The Age.
"In my opinion, Huss is batting that well it makes sense for him to go to No. 4. I'm rapt just to be in the team at the moment given that a few games ago I was playing for NSW. It's slow and steady for me now.
"If Watto was fit for this game, I still would've assumed I would've been the one to go. Marto's performances have been outstanding over a long period of time. A player of that class is always going to come good."
"With Marto retiring, I guess there's spots there, but I've got to focus on continuing to score runs. I feel like I'm batting pretty well and my goal is just to focus on that — one ball at a time, not look too far ahead — because as I've seen before it can all be taken away from you very quickly."
Clarke knows that better than most having lost his place in the squad after a disappointing Ashes series and a slow start when the West Indies toured Australia last summer.
He maintains the lessons learned in England won't be lost on him or the rest of his Australian team-mates as they look to reclaim the Ashes in Perth.
"We're taking nothing for granted, knowing what happened in England," he said.
"We could come out over-confident and lose this game and all of a sudden it's on the line again. We want to win this third Test as simple as that. We don't want to go to Melbourne or Sydney having to win."
