A dry pitch has been unveiled at the SCG, a surface that has prompted Australia into three key changes for the third Test against South Africa.
Matt Renshaw and Ashton Agar end their Test exiles, while Josh Hazlewood replaces Scott Boland as one of only two fast bowlers in Australia’s XI.
Australia captain Pat Cummins won the toss yet again, and elected to bat first.
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The SCG pitch, expected to spin like a traditional Sydney wicket, has not been used for 15 years.
Speaking about the SCG pitch on Fox Cricket, Alyssa Healy said she had “never seen anything like it in my life”.
Australia believes run scoring will be difficult on the surface and have opted for a longer batting line up by including Renshaw.
Likely Australian side:
David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Matthew Renshaw, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins (C), Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon.
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Fox Cricket’s Kerry O’Keeffe said spin would play a key role.
“This could be a battle of the slow men,” he said on Fox Sports News.
“Everybody thought that this series may be won by the quicker men and it has been decided by the Australian fast men (so far) but in these next five days the slow men could come into their own.”
Australian legend Allan Border agreed and said he would play two spinners.
“Looking at the track this morning, most definitely I would play (two spinners) … it (the pitch) has got that traditional feel about it,” he said on Fox Sports News.
“It’s got the crumbly, very dry surface to it. There’s a grass covering but it is a bit patchy so spin will definitely play a big role in this game.
“Traditionally the ball does turn here but over the years they’ve left more grass on the surface so the quickies still hold sway but it will be good to see a bit more of traditional turning track. it will be good to bat on first couple of days but after that the ball will turn.”
O’Keeffe, meanwhile, said it was a huge test for Agar ahead of a tour of India in February.
“This is a Test trial for him … Agar has a big opportunity to be that second spinner to India,” he said.
“He’s become a T20 specialist – … and his numbers in T20 cricket are fantastic. His Test numbers are less so … he’s unproven and hasn’t played a Test for a number of years but they (Australian selectors) like the cut of his jib”
O’Keeffe also backed Renshaw to perform on his recall to the Australian side.
“There’s a big watch on Matt Renshaw, I think he’s much better than when he last played
“… He had a flawed forward defence , he nicked off a lot, he didn’t hit through cover, if you look at his wagon wheels now he hits through cover a lot. He’s very powerful … through the leg side, he seizes on anything that’s not quite full enough.
“I think he’s a different kettle of fish to when people last saw him and I’m quite excited about him, I think he’s a player that could serve Australia for the next few years.”
SCG curator Adam Lewis on Tuesday said the surface would suit the spinners, although he stopped short of telling selectors they should go with two tweakers.
“We’re hoping for a traditional SCG pitch,” Lewis said.
“It’s not quite what we’ve seen in the past few years. A few of the players have told me it looks like a wicket from about 10 years ago, which gave me a bit of confidence.
“It’s thin on grass, a bit patchy and probably not the best-looking pitch that we’ve seen, but we’re looking forward to it and we’ve done the best we can. Hopefully it’s going to be a really good Test.
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“The good thing is that I can go grass, but I’m not a selector.”
There will be a romantic feel to the SCG deck, with Lewis and his team opting for pitch three, which hasn’t been used for a Test match since three Australian greats all retired together during the 2006/07 Ashes.
Warne took just two wickets in that Test, a win over England, with the fast bowlers doing the damage.
“When we were doing our investigation, we worked out that Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer had their final Test on pitch three, so in our planning we had that in the back of our mind,” Lewis said.
“We tried bringing grass in on pitch five as best we could, but with the amount of play we’ve had through the whole season, it just couldn’t get there in time.
“Knowing that Shane Warne and the guys played their last Test on three, it just felt right, so we put our energy into three.”
The selections in Sydney will have one eye on next month’s blockbuster tour of India, which could be a preview of the World Test Championship later in the year.
“It’s a huge connection to India,” Cummins said.
“Fast bowling and reverse swing is going to come into it, which we can expect in India.
“We will probably get more spin overs here; our batters are probably going to face more spin here as well. So it’s a really good connection. Even captaining here might be a little different to the last few Test matches, so it’s a really good prep.”
Weather is also set to be a factor in the match with up to 15mm of rain predicted for Wednesday while showers are forecast for days two to four.
