Australia retain lineup, Pakistan replace Sarfaraz Ahmed with Rizwan for second Test
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. The hosts crushed Shan Masood’s side by 360 runs inside four days at the first Test in Perth, with pace spearheads Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood all coming through unscathed. It means Scott Boland, who took 6-7 on debut at the MCG against England in 2021, misses out. “We’re a huge fan of Scotty, I don’t think that’s a secret,” skipper Cummins told reporters on a wet Christmas Day. “He’s ready to go if anything happens, so I’m sure he’ll play a part at some point. “The message (to Boland) is always ‘we love what you bring, unfortunately, you miss out on this one but don’t change, keep working hard and make sure you stay ready’.” Showers and potential thunderstorms are expected for the first day of play but are forecast to clear by Wednesday afternoon and Cummins sa...