Pat Cummins is confident of a result for the Boxing Day Test, with improving weather forecasts leading to hope rain won’t play a major role in the second Test against Pakistan.
Melbourne is expected to receive 1-10mm of rain on Tuesday as the Test gets underway, with up to 2mm expected on Wednesday.
Beyond that, Thursday, Friday and Saturday have a 30 per cent, 10 per cent and 20 per cent chance of minimal rain respectively, meaning play will likely be possible for all or at least the vast majority of those three days.
It’s left Cummins, who captained Australia to a commanding 360-run win over Pakistan in Perth, confident enough overs will get bowled.
“I think there will be plenty of time to finish the game. I don’t think (the weather) will change anything,” he said during his annual Christmas Day press conference.
“(The wicket) looks pretty good. (A) fair bit of grass, probably a little bit harder and not as green as last year.”
It’s unclear how Tuesday’s forecast will influence the 70,000+ fans Melbourne Cricket Club chief Stuart Fox is hoping to attend Day 1 of the coveted Test. Anything over 63,478 will be the biggest Day 1 Boxing Day crowd against Pakistan since 1980, while the MCG hasn’t had over 74,000 for Day 1 of a Test match since 2018 (when the Boxing Day Test became a regular fixture).
Those who do attend will see an unchanged XI for Australia after the eight-day break, with Scott Boland and Cameron Green again left out.
Fan favourite Boland, who has an average of 12.21 in Australia and famously took 6/7 against England during the 2021 Boxing Day Test, is expected to get an opportunity during the summer.
“We’re a huge fan of Scotty, I don’t think that’s a secret,” Cummins explained.
“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’.”
Meanwhile, there are more problems for Pakistan than just a 1-0 series deficit after numerous injuries hit the camp.
Spin duo Abrar Ahmed and Noman Ali, alongside fast bowler Khurram Shahzad, will miss the Boxing Day Test. Sarfaraz Ahmed and Faheem Ashraf have also been cut from Pakistan’s 12-man squad.
The first bowl will be bowled at 10:30am AEDT and you can listen to all the action LIVE on the SEN App and across the SEN Network.