AP, Sydney :
Australia has selected both Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe for the third and final Test against the West Indies, marking the first time in 10 years that Australia has named two specialist spinners for a home Test match.
Captain Steve Smith said Saturday that O’Keefe would replace pace bowler Peter Siddle, who has ankle soreness, in the only change to the team which beat the Caribbean side by 177 runs in the second Test at Melbourne, clinching the series.
Australia won the first Test at Hobart by an innings and 212 runs.
The Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground – the country’s most spin-friendly international venue – begins Sunday. The last time Australia employed two spinners in a home test was at the same ground in 2006, when Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill played.
The Malaysian-born left-armer O’Keefe played his only Test at Dubai against Pakistan in October 2014, when he took four wickets.
Smith said Siddle’s ankle “still isn’t 100 percent.”
“He felt it wasn’t best for him to come into this test match the way he is at the moment,” Smith said. “He’s a great team man and felt he would be letting the team down. We were probably going to go the two spinners option anyway.”
The West Indies were holding a training session later Saturday and captain Jason Holder was scheduled to hold a media conference. It was uncertain whether Holder would announce on a starting XI on Saturday, or wait until Sunday’s pitch inspection ahead of the toss.
There was also speculation the Caribbean side could also go with two spinners, bringing in Devendra Bishoo to complement Jomel Warrican, who played both prior tests.
Lineups:
Australia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Joe Burns, Steve Smith (captain), Adam Voges, Mitchell Marsh, Peter Nevill, James Pattinson, Steve O’Keefe, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
West Indies (from): Jason Holder (captain), Kraigg Brathwaite, Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Rajendra Chandrika, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich, Shai Hope, Denesh Ramdin, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor, Jomel Warrican.
