Australia announce unchanged 13-man squad for 3rd and final Test against Pakistan
With the three-Test series sealed against Pakistan, Australia have named an unchanged squad for the third and final fixture in Sydney, beginning on January 3rd. Chief Selector George Bailey said they are looking forward to celebrating David Warner's farewell Test on his home ground.
The thrilling win in the final hour of Day 4 of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne gave Australia an unassailable 2-0 lead. Despite winning the series, the hosts have resisted the urge to bring new players into the mix. Scott Boland and Cameron Green remain part of the group for the Sydney Test.
Bailey stated that Australia have set their sights on a clean sweep. He said, as quoted by cricket.com.au:
"The NSP have retained the same squad from Melbourne to Sydney as we look to clean sweep the Test series. We look forward to celebrating David Warner's final Test match and his incredible career at his home ground."
Squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner.
Australia set to decide on David Warner's replacement ahead of West Indies Tests
Meanwhile, on Saturday, head coach Andrew McDonald admitted that Warner's absence would leave a gaping hole in their line-up but that 'all options' would be considered for his replacement. McDonald said, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:
"All options will be considered. We're not going to make the decision until the deadline, which would be the West Indies game. But yeah, Cameron Green, as a discussion around who are the best six batters, would definitely be in the discussion. (Warner is) going to be hard to replace, someone who strikes at 70 and averaging 45. He probably at the moment sits as probably our greatest all-three-format player."
The two-Test series against the West Indies begins on January 17th in Adelaide.