Australia target 3-0 before India tour

Sydney: All-rounder Hilton Cartwright will make his Test debut as Australia make two changes for the final Test against Pakistan in Sydney, captain Steve Smith said Monday.

Zimbabwe-born Cartwright and left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe replace Nic Maddinson and Jackson Bird in the team that demolished Pakistan in Melbourne last week to clinch the three-match series.

The 24-year-old Cartwright is a batting all-rounder who bowls medium pace and is expected to support front-line fast bowlers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

The need for a second spinner in Sydney had been flagged by selectors, with O'Keefe getting the final nod over Ashton Agar.

O'Keefe will partner veteran spinner Nathan Lyon, who cemented his place in the team with a crucial three-wicket spell on the final day of the Melbourne Test.

O'Keefe has played three Tests, including in Sydney against the West Indies last season, and partnered Lyon in the first Test in Sri Lanka earlier this year before injury ruled him out for the remainder of the series.

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq said Monday he will lead the side in the final Test, dismissing suggestions he is about to retire.

Misbah, 42, raised the possibility following his team's abject innings defeat in the second Melbourne Test last week to lose the series, when he said he would contemplate his future and may even retire before Tuesday's final Test.

But Pakistan's most successful skipper on Monday appeared at the captain's media conference before the Test to hose down speculation of his imminent retirement.

Misbah, who has scored a total of 20 runs in four innings in the series, said his comments after the innings and 18-run defeat in Melbourne were triggered by frustration.

Australia are chasing a 3-0 whitewash in the Test that starts in Sydney on Tuesday.

Team news

Australia (annouce XI): David Warner, Matthew Renshaw, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith (capt), Peter Handscomb, Hilton Cartwright, Matthew Wade (wk), Mitchell Starc, Steve O'Keefe, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon.

Pakistan (from): Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Imran Khan, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Rahat Ali, Sami Aslam, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Sharjeel Khan, Sohail Khan, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah, Younis Khan

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan's most recent Test victory in Australia came at the SCG in 1995. They have never lost six Test matches in a row.
• This will be Australia's captain Steven Smith 50th Test.
• The inclusions of Cartwright and O'Keefe mean Australia have four overseas-born players in thier XI for the first time since their very first Test series in 1876-77 when they fielded five or more

Match facts
January 3-7, 2017
Start time 1030 local (2330 GMT -1d)