Pak vs Aus: Mitchell Swepson to replace Josh Hazelwood in second Test

• Pat Cummins confirms leg-spinner Swepson's inclusion in playing XI for second Test.
• Says with Swepson they will have best opportunity to take 20 wickets in second Test.
• Says everyone produces conditions to nullify their opponent so no one to blame.

KARACHI: Australia has included specialist leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson in their bowling line-up for the second Test against Pakistan, scheduled to start tomorrow (Saturday) in Karachi.

Aussie skipper Pat Cummins confirmed Swepson's inclusion in the playing XI in a virtual press conference ahead of the Karachi Test.

The 28-year-old has been a part of the Australian squad for quite a while but didn’t get the chance to flex his muscle in red-ball cricket before this.

In this regard, Cummins believes that the spinner is all pumped up ahead of the game.

“He's pumped. To be honest, we're all pumped up for him. He's spent a lot of time running drinks over the last couple of years. He's been a huge part of the squad even though he hasn't been playing. I think the wicket here looks a little bit drier, historically a bit friendlier for the spinners,” Cummins.

'Spinners more damaging in Karachi'

According to the skipper, particularly a wrist spinner like Swepson gives the team a balance and the best opportunity to take 20 wickets. However, he said that he still thinks that reverse swing will also be a factor in Karachi Test.

“I think a bit a bigger factor here [in Karachi], is that the square is a lot drier and probably pretty early on as well. I think even on day one, I wouldn't be surprised if you see reversing,” he said.

Cummins highlighted that history shows that the spinners are probably more damaging in Karachi than the pacemen and Australians are aware of what Nauman Ali can do on these conditions.

“We did a lot of preparations leading into this tour and we are expecting really spin-friendly conditions in the second Test match."

'Everyone creates conditions to nullify opponent'

Replying to a question, the cricketer said that he is pretty happy with how the team performed in Rawalpindi.

“Before coming to Pakistan, we spoke about managing the tempo of the game and I thought we did that brilliantly during the first game."

He admitted that Australia didn't get as many wickets as it could have but they never let the run rate slip.

Cummins further stated that everyone produces conditions to nullify their opponent. So, there’s no blame to anyone for the wicket in Rawalpindi, as he spoke about the ongoing controversy about Rawalpindi pitch.

“I think for a long time one of our strengths in our tests is our tall fast bowlers. So, anywhere we play, they try and produce conditions that perhaps might nullify the opposition. They went away from a wicket that they would traditionally play there in Rawalpindi,” the Australian captain mentioned.

Talking about preparation ahead of Karachi Test, he said his side is trying to get prepared for extreme conditions, especially the batters have in mind that the wicket may break up a little bit more on day four or five.

He said that it's always nice to have an attacking bowler up from one end and a more of a holding role on the other end, noting that Swepson can play that role of holding from the other end.