Australian stand-in skipper Steven Smith has opted to play a full-pronged pace attack in the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne, starting on December 26.
The hosts opted to play four front-line seamers, which led to Nathan Lyon being left out for the second Test in Brisbane.
For the upcoming Boxing Day Test, Michael Neser and Jhye Richardson have been named in the probable XII. There is likely to be a toss-up between the two, as Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland and Brendan Doggett are expected to retain their spots.
In the three Tests so far, the fast bowlers have dominated the wicket-takers’ charts. In the Adelaide Test, the ball was turning, which helped Lyon take six wickets. However, Smith is not expecting conditions in Melbourne to be conducive to spin.
‘We landed on a 12. I just want to take a look at the wicket tomorrow. We’re going to be playing four quicks, no spinner,’ Smith said on Christmas Day. ‘A lot of wickets we’re playing on at present are certainly more seam-friendly than spin-friendly. Last week was an anomaly; we saw some rough, and we saw Nathan come into play big-time.’
Having taken a closer look at the MCG pitch, Smith believes it is likely to assist seam bowlers.
‘It’s a tricky one. You’ve just got to play the surface you’re presented with, and this one out here looks like it’s going to offer a fair bit of assistance for the seam bowlers,’ Smith added.
Richardson, who last played a Test in 2021, is in the mix after being added to the squad for this fourth Test. ‘He’s had a pretty long lay-off with injury and we know the skills he possesses. He’s done it against England before in the Ashes, and it’s great to see him back on the table.’
Australia XII: Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (captain), Usman Khawaja, Alex Carey (wicketkeeper), Cameron Green, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, and Jhye Richardson.
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