Cummins casts doubt on ‘Wild Thing’s’ debut as spinner eyes first Test appearance since 2017 on eve of India tour

Pat Cummins said “we’re doing things a bit differently” in 2023 and, indeed, the Australian cricket team is doing just that.

Ever since the first seam bowling captain of Australia in more than half a century took charge Cummins has announced his side on the eve of a Test match.

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But with two forced changes to the Australian side following hand injuries to spearhead Mitchell Starc and all-rounder Cameron Green, as well as an SCG deck that is expected to take spin, Cummins resisted naming his XI to take on South Africa in the third and final Test of the series.

“No, I don’t [have a side] today,” Cummins told reporters on the SCG on Tuesday morning. “2023 we’re doing things a little bit differently.

“We’re settled on our XI … It’s just more make sure all the players know first and we’ll probably announce it at the toss,” he added.

Pat Cummins speaks to the media during an Australian Test squad training session at the SCG on January 03, 2023. Photo: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

Before addressing the media Cummins had one final inspection of the wicket on a picture-perfect Tuesday in the Harbour City.

Despite not letting anyone in on the secret, Cummins tossed up a couple of clues along the way.

While the ‘Wild Thing’ Lance Morris was expected to be a like-for-like replacement for Starc, Cummins cast doubt on the 24-year-old West Australian making a debut.

“We’ll sell,” he said. “I don’t think it’s the WACA-type pace bowling-friendly wicket out there, so we’ll see.”

“Yesterday we had a pretty good look at the wicket, just wanted to have another look today 24 hours on. Our minds haven’t really changed. They’ve taken a bit more grass off it. It probably looks a bit more like a SCG wicket of 15-20 years ago I think.”

Cummins’ comments were quickly interpreted as a positive sign for another West Australian player, with Ashton Agar in line to play his first Test since taking two wickets against Bangladesh in 2017, where he bowled alongside Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe.

With one eye on next month’s four-Test tour of India, the opportunity for Agar to pull on the baggy green and get some five-day cricket under his belt could also be another factor weighing on selectors.

His ability with the bat could also allow selectors to push wicket-keeper Alex Carey, fresh from hitting his maiden century, to make the move up to number six in the batting order.

Ashton Agar is hoping for a Test recall for the New Year’s Test against South Africa. Photo: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

Cummins’ comments about a slower SCG wicket were also seen as a boost for Josh Hazlewood’s chances of returning from injury alongside Scott Boland.

“It’s a huge connection to India. I think with fast bowling, reverse swing is going to come into it, which we can expect in India,” Cummins said.

“We’ll probably get more spin overs here. Our batters are obviously going to face more spin here as well. It’s a really good connection. Even personally captaining here might be different to the last few Test matches. It’s good preparation for India.”

For the first time since the 2007 New Year’s Test against England – Shane Warne’s final Test – the third pitch on the SCG square will be used.

SCG curator Adam Lewis said the decision was made to use pitch three after they struggled to get the grass up to the required standard.

“We always go in with a Plan A and a Plan B,” Lewis said.

“This year we worked out that Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer had their final Test on pitch three, so in our planning, we had that in the back of our mind.

“We tried bringing grass through on pitch five as best as we could [but] with the amount of play we’ve had through the whole of the season, it just couldn’t get there in time.

“Knowing that Shane Warne and the guys played their last Test on three, it just felt right and we sort of put our energy then into three. We’re happy we’ve gone with it.

“We’re hoping for a traditional SCG pitch. It’s not quite what we’ve seen in the last few years. A few of the players have told me it looks like a wicket from 10 years ago, which gave me a bit of confidence. It’s a bit thin of grass, a little bit patchy, probably not the best looking pitch that we’ve seen, but we’ve done the best that we can.”

Back in November, Western Australia won a Sheffield Shield match inside two-and-a-half days against NSW at the SCG as spin played a huge part in the result.

Off-spinner Corey Rocchiccioli took eight wickets while NSW debutant Chris Green grabbed nine wickets and fellow spinner Toby Gray also collected three scalps.

Cummins said the earlier result at the SCG was something that had come into the consideration.

“The Shield games are pretty good indicators here,” Cummins said.

“Potentially (Agar plays). Obviously we picked him in the squad as a second spinner.”

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