Pattinson in for Starc in Australia lineup vs West Indies
HOBART, Australia (AP) Fast bowler James Pattinson has replaced the injured Mitchell Starc in Australia's team for the first test against the West Indies beginning Thursday, while visiting captain Jason Holder said there would be few changes to the side that lost by 10 wickets in a tour match.
Australia captain Steve Smith said Wednesday that Pattinson, Josh Hazlewood and Peter Siddle will form the hosts' pace attack. Pattinson, who returns for his first test since March 2014, edged out Nathan Coulter-Nile, who will be 12th man.
Starc sustained stress fracture in his right foot in the final test against New Zealand and will not play in any of the three tests against the West Indies. The second test begins Dec. 26 in Melbourne and the final test is in Sydney from Jan. 3.
''He has played enough, he has been bowling really well, he deserves his chance,'' Smith said of Pattinson. ''He just needs to go out and do what he does well. He is similar to Hazlewood the way he bowls. Hopefully those two can lead the attack well.''
Smith said Australia's batting order would remain the same, ending speculation that wicketkeeper Peter Nevill would replace allrounder Mitch Marsh at No. 6.
''He's there to do a job, to score runs for the team,'' Smith said of Marsh. ''Hopefully he plays his natural game.''
The West Indies' loss came in a tour match against an Australia XI featuring six players making their first-class debuts. The Caribbean side has not won an overseas test series against any team except Bangladesh or Zimbabwe in 20 years.
Holder said Wednesday there will be few changes in the test team from its tour match side. Fast bowler Jerome Taylor is all but guaranteed a spot after being rested from the tour match.
''I don't think we will stray too much away from the team we had in the practice game,'' Holder said. ''If we can get into their middle order as quickly as possible, that would be better off for us.''
Holder said the team had trained well since the tour loss.
''All the guys have done all they possibly can leading up to this first game,'' he said. ''It has to be a situation where we have to put things right: players think a little bit more on their feet and just try to analyze each situation as it comes.''
Former West Indies paceman Curtly Ambrose, now a bowling consultant with the team, said he criticized the players following the loss in the four-day tour match.
''I explained to the guys in no uncertain terms that that's unacceptable,'' Ambrose said.
And he cautioned observers not to be too critical of his side.
''We're not going to worry about what has been said about us not being a good team or not going to compete, games being over in three days and all that,'' Ambrose said. ''We're going to take them and turn them into positives.''
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Lineups:
Australia: David Warner, Joe Burns, Steve Smith (captain), Adam Voges, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Peter Nevill, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
West Indies (from): Jason Holder (captain), Kragg Brathwaite, Devandra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Rajendra Chandrika, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Shai Hope, Denesh Ramdin, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor, Jomel Warrican.
