Australia has selected a 13-person team for the second Test against Pakistan, which will take place at the storied Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 26. In the Boxing Day Test, the Pat Cummins-led team is predicted to start with an unchanged lineup, having left backup fast bowler Lance Morris out of the starting lineup.
Chief selector George Bailey of Australia said that Morris was cut from the team to play for the Melbourne Stars in the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL).
“Lance is no longer in our plans for the summer, should the chance present itself. He has been released for the Melbourne match, but he will continue to be ready for Test cricket. The rest of the team is unaltered in light of Perth’s outstanding showing, according to Bailey.
In the meantime, the hosts won the first Test at Optus Stadium in Perth by an overwhelming 360 runs, taking a 1-0 lead after outlasting the tourists. In the longest format of the game, premier spinner Nathan Lyon claimed his 500th wicket, while star opener David Warner hammered his 26th century in what is expected to be his final Test series. In the first Test, Aamer Jamal, a debutant for Pakistan, showed off his remarkable bowling abilities by taking seven wickets.
According to Warner, he would retire after the series’ third and final test at Sydney Cricket Ground. Notably, Mitchell Johnson, a former pacer and teammate, criticized him, stating that the southpaw’s involvement in the Sandpapergate makes him unworthy of a farewell series. Following Warner’s outstanding 164-run performance, Johnson added that he still stands by his remarks.
“I believe my viewpoint expressed in this column a few weeks ago is still relevant. Except for his double century last summer, he hadn’t scored runs in around three years. Johnson made the case in the West Australian that Australia was likely to easily defeat Pakistan and the West Indies this summer, making it the perfect time to think about adding some young players to bolster an aging squad.
On the opening day of the Australian Test summer, David Warner scored a century, which wasn’t entirely unexpected. Warner’s performance received a lot of media attention, and it appears that he is most driven when forced to make a difficult decision and usually reserves his best for home ground.
Warner had a lucky start on the first day, and although things could have gone any way, he rode his luck early and finished with 164. Before Saturday’s duck in the second inning, he performed the tasks for which he was paid to perform in the first. Although Warner has denied caring about criticism of his form, he is undoubtedly motivated by it, as evidenced by his first-inning performance.
Australia’s team for the Boxing Day Test matchup with Pakistan:
David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, and Cameron Green
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