Australia coach Andrew McDonald is considering changes to his line-up for the fifth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The Aussies looked to bounce back from a disappointing four-wicket loss against England in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
Speaking to reporters in Melbourne on Monday, McDonald indicated that spinner Todd Murphy is likely to feature in the SCG clash, while all-rounder Beau Webster could return in place of Cameron Greene.
“It’s a good problem to have,” McDonald said of his selection dilemma for the Sydney Test, which begins on January 4.
“People are going to debate selection. Where Cameron is at the moment and how he fits in. We know we have a quality player in Webster. We have the batting order and we think we can perform at a high level, so we’ll have the conversation in Sydney.”
McDonald suggested the SCG pitch would favor a specialist spinner and expressed interest in what Murphy could bring to the side.
“It takes a lot for us not to pick a spinner and we are forced to take that decision,” he said. “Red-ball games – it’s the first time in a long time that we haven’t picked a spinner in Melbourne.”
“It’s not what we want to do and I don’t think it’s something going forward. I want to pick Todd and see what he has to offer. We think he’s back to his best, and what we’ve seen near camp has been great. We want to pick him.”
Despite the potential changes, McDonald stressed the importance of consistency, especially as Australia chases a third straight WTC finals appearance with valuable ICC World Test Championship points.
“Every Test match is very important,” Macdonald said. “Because the WTC is highly regarded by this group, we want to pick the best Test team for that surface and the opposition. We want to be consistent.”
A firm addition to Usman Khawaja at Sydney, Macdonald dismissed any speculation about his retirement.
Left out of the second Test in Brisbane, Khawaja responded strongly with 82 and 40 in Adelaide after being recalled at the last minute when Steve Smith was dismissed.
“He’s with his family at the moment and has a couple of days off and we’ll be in Sydney. We’re always in touch with the players about where they are,” McDonald said.
“There is no sign of him retiring in Sydney. His performances this year have been good enough to warrant selection. I see him there, marking the center in Sydney.”