Australian captain Pat Cummins confirms unchanged XI for third Test

Skipper Pat Cummins has confirmed that Australia will name an unchanged XI for the decisive third Test against Pakistan in Lahore.

Australia’s Mitchell Swepson. Photo by Rizwan TABASSUM / AFP

Test captain Pat Cummins has confirmed that Australia will name an unchanged XI for the decisive third Test against Pakistan in Lahore.

Josh Hazlewood, the world’s No. 10 ranked Test bowler, will spend another five days on the sidelines after Australia again opted for two strike spinners, with leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson set to retain his spot.

The Queenslander, who claimed 0/153 in the second innings in Karachi, will get another opportunity to prove his worth a Test level, while West Australian tweaker Ashton Agar and Ashes hero Scott Boland were once again overlooked.

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“We were really happy with how all 11 players went last Test,” Cummins told reporters on Sunday.

“Everyone has pulled up really well. We gave them an extra couple of days to make sure everyone has come up good. But there’s no injury worries, everyone is freshened up so we’re confident in the XI.”

Interim Australian coach Andrew McDonald threw his support behind Swepson despite last week’s underwhelming debut.

“He created opportunities for us and that’s what a leg-spinner can do, first and second innings, so I thought he bowled well throughout the game,” McDonald told reporters this week.

“Impressive debut. He waited a long time for that debut, but held his own so an incredibly positive first Test match from our point of view.

“But we’ll assess the conditions, we’ll try and make the right decisions around the best team for the right surface against the opposition.”

Australia’s Mitchell Swepson celebrates with Pat Cummins. Photo by ASIF HASSAN / AFP

The Benaud-Qadir Trophy is evenly-poised at 0-0 heading into the series finale after Australia failed to take 10 wickets in 172 overs at Karachi’s National Stadium last week.

Australia has not won an away Test series since February 2016, with a 1-0 triumph over Sri Lanka remaining its most recent Test series victory in Asia.

Cummins warned that cricket fans should expect another high-scoring affair at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium this week, based on what he’s seen of the pitch.

“There’s not a lot of grass on it,” he said. “I think it’s had quite a lot of traffic throughout the PSL (Pakistan Super League) on it as well.

“It seems hard, but I can’t see it being too much different from the other ones.

“We feel like we’ve got all bases covered if needed, whether it’s reverse swing or swing later in the game.

“I think what’s been clear … is the way we’ve gone about it is the right way. I’ve been really happy with how everyone has gone about their work (and) the tactics. I think it’s just a matter of taking those chances.

“Wickets are at a premium in this series so you can’t afford to drop too many chances. We created more than 10 chances (in the second innings in Karachi) we just unfortunately didn’t take them, so that’s going to be the challenge this week.”

David Warner has something to hint regarding the pitch for Lahore Test 🤔 #PAKvAUSpic.twitter.com/rln37B9Vnt

— Arfa Feroz Zake (@ArfaSays_) March 20, 2022

The third Test of the Benaud-Qadir Trophy gets underway on Monday, with the first ball scheduled for 4pm AEDT.

Australian XI for Lahore Test

David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Swepson, Nathan Lyon

Originally published as Australian captain Pat Cummins confirms unchanged XI for third Test