Australia Unchanged For 2nd Test, Pakistan Drop Veteran Ahmed

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.

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

Pakistan have been hit hard by injuries since Perth with fast bowler Khurram Shahzad and their two leading spinners, Abrar Ahmed and Noman Ali, all ruled out of the Melbourne match.

They named a 12-man squad with Sarfaraz Ahmed and speedster Faheem Ashraf axed.

Mohammad Nawaz will take the gloves, with Mir Hamza and Hasan Ali in contention for Shahzad's place in the attack alongside veteran Shaheen Shah Afridi and impressive newcomer Aamer Jamal.

With Ahmed and Ali sidelined, Sajid Khan is their only spin option.

"We think Rizwan is ready and we can give Sarfaraz a little bit of a break to recoup and come back," said Masood.

"It's more of a tactical decision in terms of the conditions and what we can get out of each player."

Australia XI: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (capt), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

Pakistan XII: Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (capt), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Agha Salman, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Mir Hamza, Aamer Jamal, Sajid Khan