Pat Cummins set to lead unchanged Australia attack in Adelaide day-night Test

PAT Cummins is set to lead an unchanged Australia attack going straight for England’s throat, buoyed by a lightning Adelaide pitch that’s been christened the new WACA.

Pat Cummins celebrates the wicket of Johnny Bairstow in Brisbane.

PAT Cummins is set to lead an unchanged attack going straight for England’s throat, buoyed by a lightning Adelaide pitch that’s been christened the new WACA.

Australia are all but certain to shelve pre-series considerations to resting Cummins or one of their prized quicks for the pink ball Test and instead debut day-night seam specialist Chadd Sayers.

However, unless Mitchell Starc, Cummins or Josh Hazlewood pull up with an unforeseen fitness issue in the coming 48 hours, it’s expected Australia will back in their thoroughbreds to wipe out crisis-ridden England under lights.

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Given the current embarrassment England is facing off the field, going 2-0 up in Adelaide could prove the fatal blow.

Australia had England’s tailenders hopping around in terror following a short-pitched bowling onslaught carried out on one of the most sluggish Gabba wickets ever produced.

Perth and Brisbane aren’t the nightmares they once were for batsmen, but England have been warned that when night falls, Adelaide turns into the new graveyard.

Pat Cummins, Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja celebrate a wicket.

“It does quicken up at night. It’s probably the fastest wicket around Australia at night,” said Australian coach, Darren Lehmann.

“(Bowling short at England’s tail) certainly hasn’t changed from four years ago.

“That’s one for us we see as an advantage.

“At the back end when the wicket quickened up (in Brisbane) and we could go after them a bit harder was helpful.

“That’s the blueprint. It’s no secret we’re going to attack their middle and lower order like that. Hopefully that success continues.”

England spearhead Jimmy Anderson is expected to thrive under lights with the pink ball, and on the back of his ability to swing batsmen out at will, the old enemy may not be as dead and buried in this series as it seems they are.

Chadd Sayers celebrates a wicket with Jake Weatherald.

Pink ball Test match cricket can offer up extraordinary momentum shifts and games can be lost in the space of a session.

All the running is with Australia, but Adelaide was perhaps always going to be England’s best chance to draw first blood.

Lehmann said after three wins from as many pink ball starts, Australia are full of self-belief that they can conquer the unpredictable conditions.

“It (momentum) does shift but we’ve had a couple of good Test matches in the day-night set-up,” said Lehmann.

“It’s a fascinating Test match. There can be a lot of talk about it’ll seam and it’ll swing. The ball stays pretty good, but you can make runs if you play well as per normal.

“That’s going to be interesting how it plays.

James Anderson talks to Stuart Broad during the Brisbane Test.

“We’re comfortable with where we sit having played it a few times.

“They (England) played the Chairman’s XI game, but it was a bit different to a Test match wicket. It’s bloody exciting.”

Starc made it clear after Brisbane that the fast bowlers don’t want to be rested and rotated and it appears they have little to worry about.

“As long as they pull up all right they’ll be pretty good,” said Lehmann.

“The extra day off helps those three. First innings (they bowled a lot) but you cut it back in the second innings. There was only 70 bowled and Nathan Lyon bowled 20 of those so it wasn’t too bad in terms of where they would be in a normal Test match.

“Day-nighters are a bit different in terms of pitch conditions, but we think it’ll be pretty good as it was last year.

“… as long as they get through main day (Thursday) they’re all good.”

Originally published as Pat Cummins set to lead unchanged Australia attack in Adelaide day-night Test