Aussies go unchanged at New Year’s Test against Pakistan

Australia have backed in the same XI for a third consecutive NRMA Insurance Test with Pat Cummins confirming no changes have been made for the New Year’s Test against Pakistan. Cummins confirmed Australia’s fast-bowling trio have all pulled up well after clinching the series in Melbourne. Having also won in Perth, the Aussies have no need to tinker with the balance of their side for David Warner’s Test farewell which will commence today at Sydney Grounds.

Pakistan meanwhile revealed on Tuesday afternoon they have dropped Imam-ul-Haq and rested Shaheen Shah Afridi, naming highly-rated 21-year-old Saim Ayub to make his debut while recalling off-spinner Sajid Khan.

If the hosts win the traditional New Year’s fixture, it will mark the first time since they beat England 5-0 during the 2013-14 Ashes that they have whitewashed a Test series (of three or more matches) with the same XI.

Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have all proved physically resilient over the past six months, playing six, five and four matches respectively during their six-Test tour of the UK.

The trio also played all but one match of the recent ODI World Cup together.

There is a 10-day break between the Sydney Test and the first of two Tests against West Indies in Adelaide, and then a further month in between the second Windies Test at the Gabba and the two-Test tour of New Zealand beginning in late February.

Cummins believes the star trio could play all of them, keeping the likes of Scott Boland, Lance Morris and Michael Neser on the sidelines.

“Potentially. It’d be rare,” the skipper told reporters on Tuesday. “Normally each summer there’s something that pops up. But all three of us are really fresh.

Teams :

Australia XI: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

Pakistan XI: Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Sajid Khan, Aamir Jamal, Hasan Ali, Mir Hamza. (Agencies)

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