Scott Boland will step up and uncapped Brendan Doggett is tipped for a high-stakes debut to try to shore up the loss of a combined 604 Test wickets of experience.
The overwhelmingly bowler-friendly Melbourne pitch on which 20 wickets fell on Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test has prompted Kevin Pietersen and Dinesh Kartik to point out the selective criticism of Indian tracks when spinners get wickets in a heap.
Starc also pointed out that the wicket did not assist pacers that much with the new ball and expressed concerns over Nathan Lyon's injury on the final day of the Test and the setback to Hazlewood.
Most players in Australia's Test squad are "closer to the end than the start" of their careers but they should be able to play on for another three to five years after working hard on their fitness and looking after their bodies, bowler Nathan Lyon said.
Nathan Lyon has already started his homework on rising batting sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 3rd Test played between India and Australia in Indore on Thursday.
Australia stormed to an eight-wicket victory in the second Ashes Test on Sunday to take a 2-0 series lead as England succumbed on day four to a pace blitz from unlikely hero Michael Neser.
Australia finished second in the league table during the 2023-25 WTC cycle, behind South Africa, having claimed 67.54 per cent of the points on offer to them.
Bazball is in the firing line, with former players and pundits decrying the high-risk game on Australia's spicy pitches.
Australia spinner Nathan Lyon finally clinched his long-awaited 400th Test wicket on Saturday when he dismissed Dawid Malan in his second over on the morning of Day 4 of the first Ashes Test in Brisbane.
With 539 scalps in 134 matches at an average of 30.39 and best figures of 5/39, Lyon is the seventh-highest wicket-taker in Tests and has 24 five-wicket hauls and five ten-wicket hauls.
Lyon surprised virtually everyone in the ground when he hobbled out to bat at number 11
Windies were restricted in their second innings by economical seamer Josh Hazlewood (3-23) and spinner Nathan Lyon (3-42).
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 3rd Ashes Test played in Adelaide on Wednesday
Ahead of the Ashes, Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon urged his teammates to remain calm in the face of the 'Bazball' threat.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 1st Ashes Test played in Perth on Friday.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the opening Test played between Australia and Pakistan in Perth on Saturday.
Kusal Mendis' battling half-century salvaged a difficult day one for Sri Lanka as they reached 229/9 in the second Test.
Konstas, 20, misses out after a poor tour with the bat in the West Indies, while Weatherald has been included after topping the Sheffield Shield runs list
Pat Cummins said that the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) pitch looks "nice and firm" with a "bit of grass coverage"
Glenn Maxwell's hopes of reviving his Test career may be over after the all-rounder missed out on selection in Australia's much-changed squad for the Sri Lanka tour.
Celebrated Indian spin maestros Anil Kumble and Ravichandran Ashwin showered praise upon Lyon.
Images from Day 2 of the second Test between India and Australia, at the Arun Jaitley stadium in Delhi, on Friday.
Smith dislocated his right little finger in last month's World Test Championship final and will be required to wear a splint for five weeks, Cricket Australia said.
Australia ruthlessly completed a 159-run victory over West Indies in the first Test in Barbados on Friday after Josh Hazlewood's five-wicket masterclass broke the hosts' resistance on a pitch that deteriorated into a bowler's paradise.
Mitchell Starc has paid a glorious tribute to the just-retired India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin
Batting under lights on a lively track, Australia then suffered a collapse of their own and finished day two on 99-6 for an overall lead of 181 as they look to complete a series sweep.
It still left Australia in possession of a sizeable lead of 88 and Lyon wrecked India's top order before the home side could erase their deficit.
Lyon is just 34 wickets away from surpassing Glenn McGrath to become Australia's second-highest wicket-taker in Tests.
Former captain Tim Paine has been appointed coach of the Australia 'A' team for this season with the country approaching a transition to a new generation of players as a handful of Test stalwarts near retirement.
'You've got to love the banter, especially from someone so young.'
Nathan Lyon has offered his services to Australia for the ongoing World Cup in India, declaring he has recovered from a calf injury and is available for selection if required.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 1st Ashes Test in Perth on Saturday.
Nathan Lyon captured a long-awaited 400th Test wicket and spun Australia to the brink of a comprehensive victory in the first Ashes Test in Brisbane on Saturday as England lost eight wickets in a stunning morning collapse on Day 4.
Dimuth Karunaratne's Test career ended in a whimper as Sri Lanka's most prolific Test opener fell caught behind to Kuhnemann after making 14.
'As a captain it makes my life a lot easier knowing you've got lots of settled players there.'
Australia overwhelmed the West Indies by 133 runs in the second Test in Grenada on Sunday to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series with one match remaining.
Here's Prem Panicker's unique take on all the action from the second day of the 2024-2025 Border Gavaskar series.
'Lyon has improved as a bowler in the last four-five years. He likes to bowl and he wants to bowl as many overs as possible. His line length is very good and has improved a lot, I feel.'
Pujara recalled the struggles made by his parents to support his career.
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