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Australia captain Pat Cummins, who confirmed Matt Renshaw would open after being recalled to the squad earlier this week in place of Jake Weatherald, said the make-up of the attack was weighing on the minds of selectors.<\/p>\n
\u201c(We are) trying to give it another day to see whether it\u2019s four quicks or a spinner,\u201d Cummins said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s largely conditions based. If you think there\u2019s a good chance in that first or second first bowling innings (that) you\u2019re going to take 10 wickets mainly with the quicks relatively quickly, and then perhaps the fourth innings isn\u2019t going to break up, that\u2019s a lot of the decision. <\/p>\n
\u201cThen probably related to that is having someone like Scotty Boland on the bench, who obviously is very class, I think that\u2019s why the conversation always comes up.\u201d<\/p>\n
But after coach Andrew McDonald was involved in a further assessment of the pitch during Australia\u2019s practice session on Friday, the Aussies are set to go with the status quo, with Lyon to be retained. <\/p>\n
Fox Cricket\u2019s expert analysts said that while Mackay tended to flatten out, it could be spicy early, which is why the Australians wanted to assess the pitch further before making a call after a week of \u201csoul searching\u201d according to Cummins. <\/p>\n
Curator Peter Kazakoff said the timing of the Test in late August could make the pitch more seam friendly than usual, but noted that history suggests that the deck will take spin as the match progresses.<\/p>\n
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto expects the pitch in Mackay will be livelier than the deck in Darwin but he has no plans to change from the pace-spin attack that caused difficulty for Australia.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore we came here we prepared for a bouncy track with the series against Zimbabwe,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe batters have used the net sessions in the last couple of days to prepare, so I think they will cope with the extra bounce.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve said many times that the spin attack we have is very experienced and can bowl to any conditions. They know how to bowl to these conditions so I had the luxury to go with three (pace bowlers) and two (spinners).\u201d<\/p>\n
Bangladesh PM celebrates historic win! | 00:45<\/p>\n
Irrespective of the XI, the fact Australia was considering overlooking Lyon is another indication this is a team in flux ahead of what is a massive 12 months for the Test side.<\/p>\n
After badly injuring a hamstring in Adelaide, Lyon spent several months recuperating before returning for what proved to be a debacle in Darwin when the Australian team suffered a historic loss on home soil to the Tigers.<\/p>\n
The 38-year-old finished with figures of 1-102 from 31 overs in the first innings, though those figures would have been improved if Steve Smith had taken a chance offered by centurion Tanzid Hasan when on 62, and 0-23 in the second innings.<\/p>\n
Former Australian captain Alyssa Healy flagged the prospect that Scott Boland could replace Lyon in the attack after the nine-wicket loss in Darwin if the conditions in the Queensland regional city did not look conducive to spin<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can start a little bit spicy up there. I\u2019ve played a lot of T20 cricket there and they\u2019ve left a lot of grass on the wicket, so you have to see what they provide,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cNathan Lyon won\u2019t like this, but do they go for four seamers? I\u2019ll give him a hug later. Sorry, Nath.\u201d<\/p>\n But fellow Kayo Sports\u2019 expert Kerry O\u2019Keeffe said Lyon improved as the Test progressed, as did his fast-bowling colleagues, and said the off-spinner was hurt by the failure of the Aussie batters to post a significant score.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the vibes are strong but in racing parlance, he will be better for the run,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe is getting over the top pretty well … and statistically his numbers are very strong. He is a little bit frustrated by the lack of runs he has to bowl behind. That can tinker with the psyche of a spinner. With Australia all out for 198 in the first innings, it hurts the spinner.\u201d <\/p>\n READ MORE<\/p>\n \ufeff\u2018Never really been me\u2019: Green\u2019s honest admission as training pic offers big Marnus hint<\/a><\/p>\n \ufeffHe spent eight years in Test exile. Now Gilly says this recalled Aussie star can fix a glaring problem<\/a><\/p>\n