Clarke still uncertain about Australian bowling line-up for Perth Test

Skipper Michael Clarke is still uncertain about which bowlers will do duty in the third test against India to be played here from Friday.

“Until we look at the pitch today, it's impossible to get an accurate gauge of how it might play. Certainly there would need to be exceptional circumstances for me not to play our spinner Nathan Lyon,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Clarke, as saying.

“However, if the pitch is like it was against England last summer - fast, bouncy and with plenty of grass generating sideways movement - it would be seriously tempting to play Mitchell Starc as the fourth pace man. It's always a tough decision to leave out a spinner. Five days is a lot of cricket and pitches can change enormously in that time,” Clarke added.

“You don't want to take in four fast bowlers and find out late in the Test your attack is crying out for variation, particularly if you're bowling last. Pitches don't need to turn for spinners to make an impact. Off-spinners have been successful in Perth before drifting the ball away from the right-hander into the breeze,” the skipper said. (