Australia Unchanged For 2nd Test, Pakistan Drop Veteran Ahmed

Pakistan vs Australia 2nd test (Image Source: Google)

Australia named an unchanged XI on Monday for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground as they look to seal the series against Pakistan, who dropped veteran wicketkeeper-batter Sarfaraz Ahmed.

The hosts crushed Shan Masood's side by 360 runs inside four days at the first Test in Perth, with pace spearheads Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood all coming through unscathed.

It means Scott Boland, who took 6-7 on debut at the MCG against England in 2021, misses out.

"We're a huge fan of Scotty, I don't think that's a secret," skipper Cummins told reporters on a wet Christmas Day.

"He's ready to go if anything happens, so I'm sure he'll play a part at some point.

"The message (to Boland) is always 'we love what you bring, unfortunately, you miss out on this one but don't change, keep working hard and make sure you stay ready'."

Showers and potential thunderstorms are expected for the first day of play but are forecast to clear by Wednesday afternoon and Cummins said he was confident of a result.

"I think there will be plenty of time to finish the game. I don't think (the weather) will change anything," he said.

"(The wicket) looks pretty good. Fair bit of grass, probably a little bit harder and not as green as last year."

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