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Australia’s Test selectors are considering unleashing Western Australia fast bowler Lance Morris against Pakistan, with Mitchell Starc carrying a niggle into the first Test.
David Warner’s farewell Test series will be confirmed when a 14-player squad is announced on Sunday. Mitchell Marsh will retain the all-rounder’s position ahead of Cameron Green.
The only change to the XI from Australia’s last Test – at the Oval in July – will be the return of a fit again Nathan Lyon for his understudy, Todd Murphy. Morris, whose express pace has earned him the nickname “Wild Thing”, will either be named in the extended squad or given a special train-on role before the first Test against Pakistan, beginning in Perth on December 14.
Starc has what insiders describe as a “niggle”, which is not expected to prevent him starting the Test summer. With at least a seven-day break before the Boxing Day Test, there is also confidence the veteran left-armer will be fit for the second Test in Melbourne. However, with as few as three days between the end of the Boxing Day Test and the start of the Sydney Test, selectors are concerned whether the 33-year-old quick can play three Tests in three-and-a-half weeks.
Morris, 25, has been on a special recovery program since scans at the end of last season revealed stress fractures in his back, but the Australian selectors want him ready to go if a place becomes available against Pakistan or the West Indies this summer. With Morris and Green, 24, the selectors have their eyes on next season’s five-Test series against heavyweights India.
Timed at 150km/h, Morris is considered a “like for like” replacement for Starc, the fastest bowler in the Test team, as an enforcer.
Western Australia fast bowler Lance Morris.Credit: James Brickwood
Morris would have been selected for the Ashes tour if fully fit and has been nursed through the pre-Christmas Sheffield Shield games for Western Australia, playing three matches and claiming 11 wickets at an average of 26.
He was restricted to 10 overs in club cricket last weekend, with sources close to Western Australian cricket, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, claiming Morris was concerned about a lack of recent bowling. However, he will receive the focus of Australia’s coaching and support staff during an extended lead-in to the first Test.
Scott Boland remains Australia’s nominal next choice fast bowler, but that is more likely if Josh Hazlewood or captain Pat Cummins are unable to play at any stage.
Cameron Bancroft’s flood of Sheffield Shield runs during the past season and a half won’t push Warner, 37, out of the team, despite the veteran left-hander averaging just 30 in Test cricket during the past two years, with just one century. He was Australia’s leading run-scorer in the team’s recent World Cup triumph.
Mitch Marsh batting in the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester in July.Credit: Getty
The previous modest performances of Bancroft, 31, at Test level, where he averages 26 in 10 Tests, without a century, and his low Test and Sheffield Shield strike rate have raised concerns about the likelihood of slow starts to Australia’s innings, given Usman Khawaja, almost 37, plays the anchor role. Bancroft’s opportunity may not come until Khawaja retires, although he has shown no signs of quitting Test cricket.
Marsh, 32, retains his place after topping the Ashes batting averages with 50, scoring a century and a half-century in the past three Tests following a four-year absence from the five-day game. While his batting continues to improve, Marsh’s bowling has less impact as he ages, claiming three wickets at 56 from 34 overs in those three Tests.
Green averaged 21 in three Tests during the Ashes but, with most of the Test team aged over 30, he is considered an important part of Australia’s future. A timely 96 in Western Australia’s most recent Shield game was a reminder of his quality as the selectors look for a way to get him back in the side.
Green has played 20 of Australia’s 25 Tests during the past two years, averaging 34 with the bat and claiming 30 wickets at 32 with high-quality pace and seam bowling.
While Josh Inglis, 28, has cemented his place as wicketkeeper for Australia’s white-ball games, Alex Carey, 32, remains the Test gloveman and warmed up for the red-ball summer with a top score of 81 for South Australia in their second innings during a Shield match won by Victoria on Friday.
Likely Australian squad for the first Test against Pakistan in Perth, December 14-18: 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, Cameron Green, Lance Morris.
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