- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Australia have kept their options open with the make-up of their final XI in India after selecting four spinners for next month’s four-Test tour.
The selectors named Ashton Agar, Mitchell Swepson and uncapped Victorian young gun Todd Murphy alongside Nathan Lyon on Wednesday in the touring squad to give them a range of choices if they play a second spinner in the opening Test at Nagpur on February 9.
Agar as a left-armer and Murphy as an offie give them a choice of finger spinners while Swepson’s leg-spinners also put him in the frame for the final XI after he took 10 wickets in his first four Tests in Pakistan and Sri Lanka last year.
With all-rounder Cameron Green no certainty to play in the series opener due to his broken finger, Australia will face the conundrum of whether to go with six specialist batters or promote wicketkeeper Alex Carey to No.6 and play a fifth frontline bowler.
CLICK HERE for a seven-day free trial to watch cricket on KAYO
Matt Renshaw and Peter Handscomb are the back-up batters for the tour ahead of Victorian opener Marcus Harris, who was part of the Australian squad throughout the 2-0 home summer series wins over the West Indies and South Africa. Handscomb is also a capable gloveman so he could take over if Carey is unavailable on tour.
Todd Murphy. (Photo by Morgan Hancock/Getty Images)
Handscomb’s recall is under a cloud after he copped a blow to his hip while playing a Victorian Super Slam club game on Tuesday night and was sent for scans on Wednesday to determine the extent of the damage.
He retired hurt after the blow but officials are hopeful he has only suffered bruising rather than a fracture.
The decision to play Renshaw as a sixth batter and roll with four bowlers backfired in last week’s Sydney Test when Agar was unable to break through for a wicket in either innings.
Renshaw was barely needed with the bat while the Aussies sorely missed Scott Boland or West Australian speedster Lance Morris as a third seam option behind skipper Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.
Murphy and Morris are the only players in the 18-man squad yet to make their Test debut.
With 14 wickets at 17.71 in three matches for Victoria this season, Murphy, 22, is seen as a star of the future and the heir apparent to Lyon.
“Todd Murphy has progressed quickly having impressed in domestic cricket and recently with Australia A. With those performances Todd has emerged as a strong spin option,” selection chair George Bailey said.
“Selection in this squad also provides another opportunity to spend time alongside Nathan Lyon and assistant coach Daniel Vettori in India which will be invaluable to his development.”
Although Agar went wicketless in the SCG Test, Bailey said he remains firmly in their plans.
“Ashton Agar continues to impress following his comeback in Sydney and we believe left-arm finger spin will play an important role in Indian conditions,” Bailey said.
Mitchell Swepson (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
Mitchell Starc has been ruled out of the first Test due to his finger injury and is no certainty to play in the next match at Delhi on February 17. Green is hopeful of being right for the series opener in Nagpur on February 9.
“Each game in India we might need to chop it up slightly differently,” Cummins said. “Maybe one game it’s three quicks, maybe another it’s one quick. We’ll get over there and see.”
Official squad: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith (v-c), David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Matt Renshaw, Peter Handscomb, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Lance Morris, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Swepson, Ashton Agar, Todd Murphy.
Meanwhile, Usman Khawaja believes Australia’s call to move away from a ‘horses-for-courses’ approach with the bat will give them their best chance to win in India for the first time since 2004.
“The stability of this team is a big one,” Khawaja told AAP. “Every time I’ve gone to the subcontinent I’ve felt like there’s been a lot of chopping and changing, (we) talked about horses-for-courses back in the day.
“It’s very hard to win cricket games when that’s happening. The stability there has been for this team, at least the last year-and-a-half, will put us in good stead.
“Every single player, particularly the batting, has played in the subcontinent numerous times and you take a lot from those experiences.
“(Stability) makes a big difference. I’ve been calling for it for a long time. Test cricket is hard enough, it’s even harder when it feels like you only have three games to prove yourself.”
Feb 9-13: First Test at Nagpur, 3pm AEDT
Feb 17-21: Second Test at Delhi, 3pm AEDT
Mar 1-5: Third Test at Dharamsala, 3pm AEDT
Mar 9-13: Fourth Test at Ahmedabad
Mar 17: First ODI at Wankhede, 7pm AEDT
Mar 19: Second ODI at Visakhapatnam, 7pm AEDT
Mar 22: Third ODI at Chennai, 7pm AEDT