Australia will go into the Boxing Day Test without a spinner after picking an all-pace squad to take on England.
Spinner Todd Murphy was called in to the squad but has been sidelined from the match line-up.
Australia will go into the Boxing Day Test without a spinner after picking a 12-man, pace-heavy squad to tackle demoralised England.
After Nathan Lyon suffered a long-term hamstring injury in the Ashes-clinching win in Adelaide, Victorian offspinner Todd Murphy was called into the squad.
But with the MCG pitch having up to 10mm of grass, Australia have opted to leave Murphy out in a bold and historic decision.
Stand-in captain Steve Smith, who returns after a battle with vertigo symptoms, will hold off until the toss on Friday before confirming the XI.
It will be the third time in Australia’s last five Tests they have not picked a spinner.
Lyon wasn’t selected for the day-night Test in Jamaica in July, as well as in the Ashes Test in Brisbane.
But it is a gamble for an Australian team not to select a spinner at the MCG, where the legendary Shane Warne and Lyon have had success.
“A lot of the wickets we’re playing on at present are certainly more seam-friendly than spin-friendly,” Smith said on Thursday.
“Last week (in Adelaide) was an anomaly; we saw some rough and we saw Nathan come into play, big time.
“It’s a tricky one.
“You’ve just got to play what surface you’re presented with, and this one out here looks like it’s going to offer a fair bit of assistance for the seam bowlers.
