Former Western Australian opener Michael Dighton is in line to appear against his old state after being included in the Tasmanian squad which will visit Perth for ING and Pura Cup matches this week.

Dighton has been selected in a 15-man party as one of two changes to the line-up that headed to Sydney last week. All-rounder Brad Thomas is the other new face, while neither Michael DiVenuto (ankle) and Scott Kremerskothen (fractured cheekbone) could be considered because of injury.

Dighton, 25, relocated to Tasmania in the off-season in an attempt to grasp greater opportunities in domestic limited overs and first-class cricket.

A tall right handed opening batsman, he failed to appear in the Warriors' colours last summer but had previously played in 11 first-class and five one-day games for the state's senior team. Also formerly a Western Australian under-17 and under-19 captain, he recorded his best first-class score of 182 in a Pura Cup match against Queensland in 1999-2000.

He shapes as a likely candidate to replace the ailing DiVenuto at the top of the Tigers' one-day batting order.

Tasmania made an encouraging start to the summer against New South Wales, scoring 7/327 off 47 overs in a narrow ING Cup loss at Bankstown before taking first innings points in a Pura Cup fixture at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Importantly, key batsmen Ricky Ponting and Jamie Cox were each in outstanding form in the four-day encounter, collectively scoring a mammoth 467 runs between them from their four innings.

Tasmania meets Western Australia in a day-night ING Cup match at the WACA ground on Wednesday, and the two teams are then pitted in battle again in a Pura Cup fixture which begins on Friday.

The full Tasmanian squad is: Ricky Ponting (c), Jamie Cox (v/c), Sean Clingeleffer, Graeme Cunningham, Michael Dighton, Andrew Downton, Dene Hills, Josh Marquet, Daniel Marsh, Adam Polkinghorne, David Saker, Brad Thomas, Shane Watson, Damien Wright, Shaun Young.

© 2001 CricInfo Ltd