Usman Khawaja returns, Shaun Marsh dropped from Boxing Day Test
Despite scoring 182 in Australia’s win over West Indies in the first Test in Hobart, Shaun Marsh was dropped as Usman Khawaja returns to the lineup after missing a month with a hamstring injury, reports ESPN Cricinfo.
The Australian selectors preferred to stick with Joe Burns and dropped the centurion from the first Test, despite Burns failing to score a fifty in his last three matches. Burns though enjoys a fruitful opening partnership with David Warner, with whom he shared three successive century stands against New Zealand.
Steven Smith admitted that the selectors didn't want to break the successful Burns-Warner partnership and decided to drop Marsh, despite him being involved in the highest Test fourth-wicket partnership of all-time with Adam Voges in Hobart
"That was a big part of it," Smith said. "Joe has been playing quite good cricket. He scored a hundred only a couple of Tests ago so that was a big part of it. They average 80 as a pair and it's pretty important to have a good opening stand. They've been doing a very good job so the selectors thought that was the right way to go.
"We're always talking about what's coming up as well. There were a lot of conversations around it. Shaun is obviously extremely unlucky to miss out after scoring a brilliant 180 in the last Test match, and 49 under a bit of pressure in the Test before that. There were lots of talks about it but they believe that's the best way to go, going forward."
Khawaja’s return also means that Smith will move back down to No. 4 and admitted that the time off, not playing the opening week of the BBL, has helped him rest his sore knee and hip.
"It's been good, actually," Smith said. "My knee is probably feeling as good as it has all summer. That's all good. The hip has settled down. I'm good to go."
There are no other changes to the Australian XI that took to the field in Hobart, which means Peter Siddle and James Pattinson will partner Josh Hazlewood in the pace attack.
West Indies haven’t confirmed their XI yet and although all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite is the front-runner to replace the injured Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder admitted there is a possibility of including leg spinner Devendra Bishoo.
"I think there's a possibility of them playing two spinners," he said, "we'll just see how it goes in the morning.”