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Australia assistant coach Daniel Vettori said the decision to play the fifth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) without a specialist spinner was based on recent pitch trends, noting that the venue has offered lesser assistance to spinners in recent years despite its historical reputation.
Australia, having already won the Ashes, entered the Sydney Ashes Test with an unassailable 3-1 lead. With legendary spinner Nathan Lyon sidelined due to a hamstring injury, the 25-year-old Todd Murphy was slotted into the 15-member squad ahead of the SCG Test. However, the off-spinner found no place in the Australia XI, as the hosts went into the match with no specialist spinner and featured an all-pace bowling unit. Notably, this is the first time since 1888 that the Australian side has fielded an XI at the SCG without a frontline spinner, according to Sky Sports. Vettori, however, said the team's decision to exclude the spinner was based on the Sydney venue offering lesser assistance to spinners in recent times. He also noted that this is not a trend but a reflection of current surface conditions rather than tradition. "That's the thing. It's history - it's a long time ago. You've seen over the last three years it's been diminishing results for spin bowlers here, which is obviously not something that we'd like, but it's the nature of the surface. I don't think it's going to be something that's going to continue on for years on end," Vettori said in the post-day press conference after Day 1 of the SCG Ashes Test on Saturday. Daniel Vettori emphasised the importance and appeal of spin bowling in Test cricket, but said current conditions do not favour it, adding that he expects spin to regain its influence in the future. Notably, Australia only played Nathan Lyon for the first and third Ashes Tests, but omitted him from the second before he was ruled out due to a hamstring injury sustained in their Ashes-clinching victory in Adelaide. "I think spin bowling is incredibly important to Test match cricket. I think people love watching it when it's at its absolute best and when conditions can assist the spin bowler. But we're just in the stage now where that's not the case. I wouldn't be surprised that it changed in the future. I think at some stage it will get back to possibly how it was preceding these last couple of years," Vettori added. Coming to the Australia vs England Test at SCG, rain and bad light limited play to just 45 overs on Day 1, but England made strong progress, reaching 211/3. Joe Root (72*) and Harry Brook (78*) shared an unbeaten 154-run partnership for the fourth wicket, putting England in control after Australia claimed three early wickets. (ANI)
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