Scott Boland has kept his place in Australia’s Boxing Day Test squad, with Josh Hazlewood pulling out of the competition.
Boland has been in fine form since coming into Australia’s Test team, taking 25 wickets in five appearances in the format at an average of 10.36.
The 33-year-old medium-pacer took 4-42 in Australia’s six-wicket loss to South Africa in Brisbane in the series opener, but could have lost his place to Hazlewood in Melbourne.
But Hazlewood, who has been recovering from a side strain, opted to withdraw from contention after feeling “failed”, earning praise from captain Pat Cummins.
“We gave Joshy every chance, it just got to a stage where he more than anybody else felt like he was a bit bad,” Cummins said.
“It’s a sign of the man really, he himself said ‘don’t feel too good’ so he withdrew himself from selection.
“We talk a lot about how as a team we need a team mentality and I think that’s another great example.”
Hazlewood trained well before the match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, but Cummins explained that a decision between the veteran campaigner and Boland did not have to be made in the end.
“We didn’t really get to the decision point, we gave it enough time and it developed,” Cummins said.
“There would have been a part of everyone that would have felt a bit gutted if Scott had lost.”
Meanwhile, Australia opener David Warner is set to reach the milestone of 100 Tests after retaining his place at the top of the rankings.
South Africa captain Dean Elgar did not reveal his starting line-up as he urged his players to step up as the Proteas look to keep their series chances alive.
But he admitted their batting needs to improve with the series on the line.
“We’ve always been in a good space since we’ve been in Australia,” Elgar told reporters.
“We’ve just hit a snag in the last week – but I think both batting units have got over it.
“We’re starting from scratch and we know running on board is key.
“We’ve had some good conversations, but right now the conversation is loose. Your best reference point is putting the performances on the board.”
Australia XI to face South Africa: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
