Australia have licence to experiment in Sydney Test against South Africa | Geoff Lemon

With a series win in the bag, injuries to consider and a looming visit to India, the hosts have the freedom, scope and necessity

Sydney is a place for experiments. Attending your first Mardi Gras parade, fomenting the Rum Rebellion, paying $4m for a dilapidated single-front terrace house: it’s all about opening your eyes with something that you may never have anticipated. There will be experiments for the third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground this week, then. The Australian men have already won the series against South Africa, so they have the freedom. They are missing two first-choice players through injury, so they have the scope. And they are eyeing a difficult visit to India in a month’s time, so they have the necessity.

Missing Cameron Green with a broken finger, the first decision is about structure: whether an all-rounder is needed for bowling support. So far in a decent sample size of Green’s 18 Tests, there is nothing compelling in the numbers: when playing alongside him, Patrick Cummins has a small improvement across the key metrics of average, strike rate and economy rate; Josh Hazlewood improves his average and economy rate but worsens his strike rate; while Mitchell Starc is more economical but slips on the wicket-taking measures. The variations are within a small margin for error.