Australian captain Tim Paine might bat at no. 6 to make way for an extra pacer in the Boxing Day Test.
The Australian team has not yet decided on the team combination for the Boxing Day Test starting on Thursday (December 26). They will have a look at the pitch and then decide the right combination for the Test match. A new addition to the fast bowling unit might mean that all-rounder Michael Neser will become the 459th Test player for Australia.
Australian captain Tim Paine said, “We'll find out tomorrow. The wicket is a bit unknown ... but we've got a plan in place for both scenarios (with Neser or without). We've probably got two different teams (in mind), to be honest, so we'll make the final call tomorrow.”
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“Looking at the wicket in the last two or three Boxing Day Test matches, it's been very hard to take 20 wickets. Our batting team has been scoring a lot of runs so if we were to go one more bowler, we would be comfortable they could do the job. The bowlers we would be bringing in can all bat so while we're taking a batter out, we're probably lengthening our line-up,” he added.
If an extra pacer is added, it will most probably be Travis Head who will miss out from the squad and force Tim Paine to promote himself up the order. Paine, who bats at No. 5, averages 30.40 in Test cricket, which is not ideal for promotion. However, he feels confident about batting there.
Paine said, “If I have to bat in the top six, then that's what I'll do. I am not too fussed whether it's six or seven. There is not a huge difference. So, we are all here to do what we think is best for the team. Yep (he is confident), otherwise we wouldn't be doing it.”
Looking at the previous Boxing Day Tests, the wicket has generally been good for batting. Paine mentioned that it is not easy for the pacers to out go there and pick 20 wickets. In some recent Sheffield Shield games at the venue, spinners got some help from the pitch later in the game.
The 35-year-old said, “It has got some pretty thick live grass on it at the moment which I haven't seen before but, again, speaking to Sidds and Patto and 'Ronny', in the early Shield games when it was nipping around, that was on day one, then it became a pretty good wicket to bat for the majority of the game.”
“We saw a little bit of spin from [Queensland's] Mitchell Swepson late in a Shield game here against Victoria as well. Their feedback has been that, barring the one game against Western Australia, the wicket has been much improved and a very good cricket wicket,” he added.
(Inputs from Cricbuzz)
