TROY Batchelor will ride for Australia in the second edition of the Speedway Best Pairs Cup.

The Robins skipper gets the call for the Mark Lemon's four-man team in the absence of banned countryman Darcy Ward. Batchelor is joined in the Aussie squad by Chris Holder and former Robin, Jason Doyle.

The competition, which revived the international pairs format last season, sees entrants from Australia, Denmark, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the USA compete.

It is contested over three rounds in Toruń, Gustrow and Esbjerg, where one wildcard per round will be given out. At Toruń, the invitation will be given to Latvia, in Gustrow, Germany, with the final place in Esbjerg to be decided.

Great Britain were invited and the organisers claimed riders and manager Alun Rossiter were interested, the BSPA refused to give permission for their riders to take part.