Fast-bowling all-rounder Cameron Green and pace Josh Hazlewood made their return as Australia announced their Playing XI for the fourth match of the ongoing Ashes 2023 series, with visitors to go into a Test without a specialist spinner for the first time in over a decade.
Scott Boland and Todd Murphy make way for Green and Hazlewood from the side that lost by three wickets at Headingley.
Fit-again Green, who missed the Leeds Test with a hamstring injury, has been listed to bat at seven, behind Mitch Marsh at No.6, with wicketkeeper Alex Carey to come in at No.8 as the Aussies rejigged the balance of their side to squeeze in their two all-rounders.
Marsh struck a blazing century in Leeds to guarantee his spot, leaving Murphy as the fall guy with Green coming back into the side to give captain Pat Cummins five pace bowling options.
Skipper Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood will lead the pace pack with Marsh and Green doing the support job. Part-time spinners are available in the squad in the form of Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head.
Meanwhile, David Warner has been retained despite speculation over the opener’s position after being dismissed for single-figures in both innings by his nemesis Stuart Broad in the third Test.
“Davey didn’t have his best game last week at Headingley, but prior to that, he has looked really good. He has had three 50-run (opening) partnerships, which can be rare in England,” said Cummins.
Australia have not gone into a Test without a specialist spinner since January 2012 when they played India at the WACA with four specialist seamers, which came before Nathan Lyon had truly established himself in the side.
With Lyon now out of this series with a calf injury, Australia are again at a point where their spinner is not an automatic pick.
Murphy, who played four Tests against India earlier this year alongside Lyon, held his own on Ashes debut at Headingley as he dismissed Stokes in the first innings before only being given two overs in the second.
While Cummins said that Australia were excited about Murphy, he pointed out that the 22-year-old isn’t exactly a like-for-like to Nathan Lyon.
“Nathan Lyon is the greatest off spinner we’ve ever had so it’s not quite apples for apples. We are really excited by Todd, we think he’s fantastic. I would have loved to use him a bit more last week, (but) conditions just favoured pace bowling,” said the 30-year-old skipper.
“We played a Test in Hobart last year in the Ashes where Nath didn’t bowl an over. It’s all condition based. We are really excited by Todd, we think he’s a gun, we love having him around, he’s got a big future. It was more conditions the way I used him, as opposed to how he bowled,” he added.
Meanwhile, England too have confirmed their XI for the fourth Test with James Anderson set to return for Ollie Robinson in the only change from the winning team that played at Headingley last week.
Australia XI for the fourth Test: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Josh Hazlewood
England XI for fourth Test: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Moeen Ali, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
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