Australia’s combination a mystery for Sydney

Spinners Ashton Agar and Steve O’Keefe have joined Australia’s squad for the third Test in Sydney, but the final make-up of the XI remains a mystery three days out from the match. The one certainty is that Australia will use their fourth No.6 of the Test summer, with Mitchell Marsh, Callum Ferguson and Nic Maddinson all having been dropped after struggling in the position.

Seam-bowling allrounder Hilton Cartwright, who averages 44.50 in his short first-class career so far, could be in line for a Test debut at No.6, which might allow Australia to play two frontline spinners – Nathan Lyon and O’Keefe, perhaps – and two specialist fast men. However, another option would be to move wicketkeeper Matthew Wade up to No.6, despite his low Test scores this summer, and include Agar as a spinning allrounder.

That could then mean the three fast bowlers – Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Jackson Bird – all playing alongside Lyon and Agar. Such a move would be a considerable vote of confidence in Agar, who famously made 98 batting at No.11 on Test debut at Trent Bridge in 2013. In the next Test, Agar batted at No.8, and since then has scored two first-class hundreds and averages 26.41 with the bat.

“I think I would be able to if I was given that opportunity,” Agar said when asked if he could bat in the top seven of a Test …

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