Australian stand-in skipper Steven Smith indicated that Australia may play without a specialist spinner for the Boxing Day Test on Friday. Nathan Lyon was also not part of the first two Tests of the series in Perth and Brisbane. He returned to the side in Adelaide, where he managed to scalp five wickets and played a crucial role in Australia’s win in the third Test, but injured himself and is out for the rest of the series. Although Lyon is absent, Australia does have decent spinners in their ranks. Smith said the surface at the MCG might be more conducive to seam bowling.
“A lot of wickets we’re playing on at present are certainly more seam-friendly than spin-friendly,” Smith said on Thursday, speaking to the reporters. “Last week was an anomaly; we saw some rough, and we saw Nathan come into play big-time.”
“It’s a tricky one. You’ve just got to play what surface you’re presented with, and this one out here looks like it’s going to offer a fair bit of assistance for the seam bowlers,” said Smith.
What happened to Lyon
The 38-year-old would need surgery after he tore his right hamstring during the Adelaide Test. The hosts have added Jhye Richardson and Todd Murphy to their squad as replacements for both players. Steve Smith, who led in the first two Tests at Perth and Brisbane, will return to captain the hosts in the fourth Test, starting on December 26.
Richardson last played a Test match against England at Adelaide in the 2021-22 Ashes series. Murphy last played for Australia against Sri Lanka at Galle in January.
“It’s always pretty robust around when you’ve got three, three potential candidates, or even four. Todd’s been an important part of the key overseas series. He played in the last Ashes back in 2023, and we feel as though Todd’s back to his best.”