Australia opt for all-pace attack for the Boxing Day Test

With the Ashes already retained, Australia head into Melbourne aiming to make it four wins in a row, but the hosts face several selection decisions ahead of the marquee Boxing Day Test.

With Nathan Lyon sidelined due to injury sustained in the Adelaide Test, Todd Murphy was added to the squad. However, Australia have opted to go in with four pacers on a pitch expected to offer plenty of movement, according to the returning stand-in skipper Steve Smith.

"We're going to be playing four quicks and no spinner. (The pitch) has 10mm of grass, quite furry, quite green.” said Smith.

"I dare say it's going to offer quite a bit, particularly (day one) is similar conditions to today, quite cold and overcast so I dare say there's going to be quite a bit of movement.”

The final call on the playing XI will be taken post Australia’s last training session on Christmas morning.

"We've landed on a 12, we just want to take a look at the wicket tomorrow." said Smith.

Smith attributed the decision to go with four seamers to what appears to be a seam-friendly pitch, stressing that it had nothing to do with Todd Murphy’s ability. Murphy will have to wait to add to his seven Test caps, having last played for Australia in February earlier this year.

"You just got to play what surface you're presented with; this one looks like it's going to offer a fair bit of assistance for the seam bowlers and the weather throughout the week looks conducive for that too.

"I think if Nathan (Lyon) was (available), we'd probably still be having the same conversation as well, so it's certainly nothing to do with Todd's skill." said Smith.

Steve Smith returns to the squad after missing the third Ashes Test due to an inner-ear issue. In his absence, Usman Khawaja, who was initially set to miss the match, was promoted to bat at No.4, and the 39-year-old seized the opportunity with scores of 82 and 40, performances that helped him retain his place in the side for the Melbourne Test.

"I had a few bad days before the (Adelaide) Test and the first couple of days of the (match until) all my vestibular stuff settled down.” said Smith

"It was a shame to miss that one, it looked like a pretty nice wicket for batting. I was watching in the hotel those first two days and wished I could have been out there, but it was the right call at that stage (because) I was struggling.”

"(It was) fortunate that Usman was able to come in and play the way he did … in that first innings."

While Smith reflected on his own interrupted build-up, Australia’s quick Scott Boland expressed how the bowlers have also quietly benefited from a tactical tweak behind the stumps.

Boland acknowledged the impact Alex Carey has had by standing up to the stumps, whose influence was evident during the day-night Test at the Gabba, where he stood up to both Michael Neser and Boland. Four of Neser’s five second-innings wickets came with Carey up to the stumps, including key dismissals of Ben Stokes and Will Jacks.

The tactic continued to pay dividends in Adelaide, where Carey stood up for much of England’s second innings, taking a sharp bat-pad catch off Jacks before Brydon Carse was bowled while caught on the crease.

Boland said trust has been central to making the strategy work.

“But I've got full trust in 'Kez' (Carey) that if I hit my normal length, and if the ball does go above the stumps, he's got amazing hands.”

“We speak every couple of overs … if he's feeling that he's better off being back, then I trust him. If he's like, 'No, I want to come up, I think we can shut them on the crease,' then I back his judgment there as well.

“The Gabba was pretty bouncy and he was up to the stumps for a fair bit of it, and catching balls above waist high. I bowled a bouncer and he caught that. So I've got full trust in him up there.”

Australia squad for 4th Test: Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Usman Khawaja, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson