Australia has retained the Trans-Tasman trophy with what turned out to be comfortable 149-run win in the first Test at the Gabba but celebrations for Shane Watson were most likely brief, with the news he has been axed from the side.

Watson’s omission from the squad for the Adelaide Test match, beginning next week, marks a change in selection policy - with captain Ricky Ponting hinting that a ‘horses for courses’ approach would be used throughout the Australian summer.

“I just think we’ve got to be a bit more flexible on our selection in different places,” Ponting said. “If you look through the depth of Australian cricket, I think there are guys who are going to be able to give you more in different conditions around Australia. I think me as a captain and our coach and certainly our selectors have got to start looking at those sorts of options, especially with some of the cricket coming up.”

The change of approach means Tasmanian off-spinner Jason Krejza, who took twelve wickets on debut in India, is likely to do more than just carry the drinks in Adelaide; though Victorian Peter Siddle has also been recalled to the squad for the second Test.

In contrast to the seam-friendly Gabba green top that saw both Australia and New Zealand’s batsmen struggle to cope - just one player, Simon Katich, scored a century - the Adelaide pitch will not be as helpful to the bowling side. “If we go to Adelaide on a wicket that’s very flat and might offer a bit of reverse swing, we have to pick guys who can use those conditions better,” Ponting said. “We need to look at every way you can to have the most impact.”

One bowler whose spot in the Australian team is assured, both in the immediate and long term future, is Mitch Johnson. Johnson took three of the last four Black Cap wickets in Brisbane as Australia surged to their first victory in five matches and finished with match figures of 9-69, narrowly beating Katich to man of the match honours.

Resuming at 6 for 143, 184 runs from victory and with a collapse-prone tail, New Zealand was unable to conjure up the kind of miracle that had seen their compatriots win the Rugby League World Cup across town the night before. Any hope of a win evaporated with Dan Vettori and Ross Taylor’s respective departures, as Johnson continued on to take his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket.

But a return to winning ways has not lessened the selection headaches for Australia, with one Test left to play against New Zealand and a challenging series against South Africa just around the corner.

“We’ve got South Africa at the WACA, which will be a good place for the swing and quick bowlers, then we’ve got Melbourne and Sydney, which will be the other way. Then we take South Africa on over there on wickets which we saw last time seamed all over the place. We have to start looking at the guys that are going to be suited to those conditions and even look ahead to England as well,” Ponting said.

Shane Watson’s axing makes the message even clearer: the Australian Test XI is no longer the protected species it was for much of the Trevor Hohns reign as chairman of selectors. At one stage the make up of the Australian side was, like death and taxes, inevitable - but failure in India has forced Andrew Hilditch and Ricky Ponting to change direction.

Australian squad: Ricky Ponting (c), Matt Hayden, Simon Katich, Mike Hussey, Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Brad Haddin (wk), Brett Lee, Jason Krejza, Mitchell Johnson, Stuart Clark, Peter Siddle.