Australia unchanged for second Pakistan test
REUTERS - Australia will head into the Boxing Day test against Pakistan unchanged from the side that closed out a nerve-jangling 39-run win in the first match in Brisbane on Monday.
The news will have been warmly greeted by number six batsman Nic Maddinson, who has struggled to cement himself in the side in his two tests so far.
The hard-hitting Maddinson scored one and four from his two innings at the Gabba after being dismissed for a duck against South Africa in the dead rubber test in Adelaide.
Australia's front-line bowlers put in a heavy workload to defeat Pakistan after the tourists put 450 runs on the board in pursuit of a 490 victory target before being bowled out.
Uncapped seamer Chadd Sayers, 12th man in Brisbane, could therefore come into consideration for next week's match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Selectors will assess how seamers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Jackson Bird recover before deciding whether to call in extra players as cover.
Squad:
David Warner, Matt Renshaw, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith (capt), Peter Handscomb, Nic Maddinson, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Jackson Bird, Chadd Sayers
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)