Alex Carey celebrates his first Test century for Australia.Credit:Getty
Australia would like the option of playing two spinners on an SCG pitch that turned during a Sheffield Shield match earlier in the season, but without Green’s heavy-duty change bowling as the third seamer, dual spinners become a more difficult scenario.
Carey could well move up to No.6 in place of Green, given his current form. He averages almost 40 from 14 Tests, better than any member of the South Africa squad.
This would allow seamer Michael Neser to squeeze in at No.7, given his improving Shield form with the bat, which includes a century for Queensland earlier this season.
Should Starc be ruled out, the selectors could then choose whether they wanted to play two fast bowlers out of Scott Boland, the recovered Josh Hazlewood and speedster Lance Morris, alongside Cummins and Lyon, or just one if a second spinner was chosen. Leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson and left-arm finger spinner Ashton Agar, who also has three first-class centuries, would be the front-runners.
It’s hard to believe that little more than four months ago South Africa beat England by an innings and 12 runs at Lord’s inside three days to go 1-0 up in their three-match Test series, and consolidated top position in the ICC World Test Championship standings.
Given recent history and their ill-equipped batting line-up, South Africa will do well to make as many as David Warner’s 200, something they haven’t done in their past seven Test innings.
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Things would be even worse for the visitors if Warner had taken a low catch at first slip from Theunis de Bruyn off a Cummins edge when the batsman was three.
In the third over of Wednesday morning, South Africa threw a brief counterpunch. The wholehearted and unlucky Anrich Nortje was on a hat-trick after bowling Travis Head (51) and David Warner (200) with successive deliveries.
Retiring hurt the previous day with a glorious 200 after seizing up with cramps, Warner returned to the crease to warm applause, was stunned when his first ball crashed into his back pad then his stumps, and slowly walked off, raising his bat uncertainly to even more applause.
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