Summary Jackson Bird will play as Australia's third pace bowler in the day-night Test against South Africa.
ADELAIDE (AFP) - Jackson Bird will play as Australia s third pace bowler in the day-night Test against South Africa in Adelaide, skipper Steve Smith said Wednesday.
Tasmania s Bird pipped Adelaide-born fast bowler Chadd Sayers to the last spot with under-fire spinner Nathan Lyon holding on to his place in the pink-ball, third and final Test which starts Thursday.
"Jackson Bird is in," Smith told reporters.
"He took five-for in his last Test match. He s bowled well with the pink ball in the (Sheffield) Shield games he s played.
"He s batted well in the nets here and he deserves an opportunity. So it s unlucky for Chadd (Sayers) to be missing out on his home ground, but we ve gone with Jackson Bird."
That means Australia will field three debutants in Adelaide -- English-born opener Matt Renshaw and middle-order batsmen Peter Handscomb and Nic Maddinson.
Smith said he wanted to play a spinner in Adelaide, which has a reputation for taking spin.
"We were always keen on playing a spinner in this game and that s the way we ve gone with Nathan Lyon," Smith said.
Heavy defeats in the first and second Tests have plunged Australia into crisis, prompting the chief selector to quit and a dramatic team shake-up with six players axed for the Adelaide Test.
Australia: David Warner, Matt Renshaw, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith (capt), Peter Handscomb, Nic Maddinson, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Jackson Bird.
