Test captain Pat Cummins has hinted that Glenn Maxwell may be brought into the team for the second Test against Sri Lanka, and would bat No.8 and serve as a third spinner if he were to do so.
The skipper spoke to media in Galle on Thursday, and after naming the same 12-man squad as the first Test, said that the only potential change would be Maxwell in for Mitchell Starc, with just one fast bowler left in Cummins himself.
Both Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Swepson will keep their spots, the two bowling the lion’s share of the time in the previous match – Cummins didn’t bowl at all in the second innings, while Starc had just 11 combined overs across the two digs.
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Sri Lanka have had horrid preparation for the second Test, with Dhananjaya de Silva, Asitha Fernando and Jeffrey Vandersay all testing positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, joining Praveen Jayawickrama on the sidelines, who did the same a couple of days ago.
Australia secured an impressive win last week, on the back of a surprising source with Travis Head taking four wickets in the second innings.
The temptation to play three slow bowlers may now prove too much for Cummins to resist.
They also have Cameron Green in the side, but the young all-rounder has been restricted from bowling so far on the tour, as he continues to have his workload managed.
The second Test begins on Friday.
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