Hazlewood declares himself fit for SCG Test

Australia seems set to make a solitary change to their starting XI for the New Year Test that begins at the SCG on Sunday, with pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood declaring himself fit to play despite his heavy summer workload.

Prior to the current Test series against the West Indies commencing, selection chair Rod Marsh indicated "it would be very difficult" for Hazlewood to play all six home Tests of the Australian summer and then two more in New Zealand during the upcoming tour there in February.

But despite emerging from the Boxing Day Test at the MCG without a wicket for the first time in his 14-Test career to date, Hazlewood claims he is feeling as fresh and as ready as he has at any stage of the season in which he has emerged as the leader of Australia’s bowling attack.

WATCH: Hazlewood joins no-ball club in Melbourne

Which means the chances of uncapped Victoria quick Scott Boland receiving a call-up appear slim, with Australia expected to employ a dual spin attack of Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe even though the SCG pitch sported a thick mat of green grass today.

The sole change to Australia’s starting line-up is expected to be O’Keefe’s inclusion in place of seamer Peter Siddle, who was troubled by a foot injury on the final day at the MCG and did not take part in Australia’s optional training session at the SCG this morning.

Siddle will need to bowl at full pace at training tomorrow if he is to be considered for the Test that looks set to be dogged by wet weather forecast for Sydney next week.

Hazlewood said today that while he bowled a significant number of overs (41 across both innings) at the MCG as the Australians laboured to prise out some stubborn West Indian batsmen, the fact they were able to wrap up victory with a day to spare has helped his preparations for Sydney.

But he is unsure how much of a role he will play in the ODI and T20 series against India that follows immediately after the current Frank Worrell Trophy campaign, and before the Australians head across the Tasman Sea next month.

"I’ll just play it by ear," said Hazlewood, who was also identified by skipper Steve Smith before the second Test against New Zealand last month as having carried a hefty workload that might require him to be given a break at some stage during the summer.

"This next Test match (at the SCG) and then it depends on how much I bowl there, how I'm feeling and how the body pulls up.

"There's quite a lot of cricket, so it would be tough to play every game (during the white ball series against India this month) but we'll pick and choose with how we go for resting.

"I had a light bowl today so everything's feeling pretty good.

"I'm feeling ready to go as I have for the other Test matches this summer."

Hazlewood, who late last year was named the ICC’s Emerging Player of the Year for 2015, said his match figures of 0-89 in the Boxing Day match did not accurately reflect how he felt he had performed in his team’s 177-run victory.

"I think I bowled reasonably well in different spells, and not so well in other spells," he said today.

"That happens every now and again, it's good that the other guys bowled really well and Mitch Marsh stood up in the second innings and took a lot of the workload as well as the wickets.

"He's feeling good and the ball's coming out well for everyone bowling."

WATCH: Hazlewood rips through Black Caps in Adelaide

It is 10 years since Australia went into a Test at the SCG, once considered the most spin-friendly pitch in the nation, with two specialist spinners – when leg-spinners Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill last operated in tandem there against South Africa in 2006.

And it’s more than 30 years since the Australians took two specialist finger spinners into a Sydney Test, the most recent previous pairing being Greg Matthews and left-arm orthodox bowler Ray Bright who played (as well as leg-spinner Bob Holland) against New Zealand in 1985.

Hazlewood, who has bowled in concert with Lyon and O’Keefe on numerous occasions for New South Wales, said the pair operated very effectively as a partnership, most recently during the day-night Sheffield Shield game against South Australia in Adelaide last October.

"They know their game inside and out and bowl quite well in tandem," Hazlewood said of the spin pair.

"They're both quite attacking and don't go for runs as well

"It's nice to have that as a quick, not leaking runs at any stage.

"And once that ball gets older, the two spinners taking the brunt of the workload might (allow us to) bring the quicks back in shorter spells, and we might be able to go hard at them (the West Indies batsmen) for different stages."

The picture is not quite so bright for the tourists if the SCG pitch proves to take spin as readily as the Australians believe it will.

Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican might be the West Indies leading wicket-taker of the current series (with three wickets at 62 apiece) but his place for the Boxing Day Test was reportedly under threat until fellow spinner Devendra Bishoo sprained his left shoulder in a fielding mishap on match eve.

Bishoo is still struggling to recover from that injury and is unlikely to play at the SCG, which means the West Indies do not have access to a second specialist spinner unless they send an SOS to Samuel Badree who is currently playing for the struggling Brisbane Heat in the KFC Big Bash League.

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