On Monday, Australia named an unaltered squad for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in an effort to secure a series victory over Pakistan. Pakistan, in contrast, have dismissed veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed.
At the first Test in Perth, the hosts defeated Shan Masood’s side by 360 runs in four days, with pace spearheads Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood all emerging unscathed.
This results in the exclusion of Scott Boland, who made his debut at the MCG against England in 2021 with 6-7.
“I don’t believe it’s a secret that we are enormous fans of Scotty,” captain Cummins told reporters on a dreary Christmas day.
“He is always prepared for any eventuality, so I have no doubt that he will contribute at some juncture.
“The message (to Boland) is always ‘we love what you bring, unfortunately, you miss out on this one but don’t change, keep working hard and make sure you stay ready’.”
The first day of competition is anticipated to be marked by showers and possible thunderstorms, but these conditions are expected to subside by Wednesday afternoon. Cummins expressed confidence in the outcome.
“I believe that sufficient time will remain to complete the game.” He stated, “I do not believe (the weather) will change in any way.”
“The wicket is in decent condition. “A fair amount of grass, perhaps a touch more rigid and less verdant than the previous year.”
Since Perth, injuries have severely impacted Pakistan, as evidenced by the absences of their two leading spinners, Abrar Ahmed and Noman Ali, fast bowler Khurram Shahzad, and fast bowler Abrar Ahmed from the Melbourne match.
They selected a 12-man squad, eliminating speedster Faheem Ashraf and Sarfaraz Ahmed.
Mohammad Nawaz will don the mitts, while Mir Hamza, Hasan Ali, veteran Shaheen Shah Afridi, and dazzling newcomer Aamer Jamal will vie for the position of Shahzad in the attack.
Ahmed and Ali have been suspended, leaving Sajid Khan as their sole spin option.
“We think Rizwan is ready and we can give Sarfaraz a little bit of a break to recoup and come back,” commented Masood.
“It’s more of a tactical decision in terms of the conditions and what we can get out of each player.”
Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins (captain), David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon comprise the Australia XI.
Shan Masood (captain), Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Agha Salman, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Mir Hamza, Aamer Jamal, and Sajid Khan comprise Pakistan XII.