Smith surprised by green deck

Australia's captain Steven Smith has admitted the Adelaide Oval pitch explicitly prepared for the day-night Test and the pink ball has more grass on it than he expected, leading the selectors to dispense with the services of the left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe and settle on a three-man pace attack for Friday.

Josh Hazlewood and James Pattinson would appear to be duelling for the final spot in the XI, with Peter Siddle set to resume his Test career in search of the two wickets he needs to notch 200 for Australia. Smith was positive in his feedback to the oval's curator Damian Hough after the Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and South Australia some weeks ago, but he said the ground's thick grass coverage this week had surprised him.

"It was considered obviously, as he was here to train with us," Smith said of O'Keefe. "He's done incredibly well with the pink ball and we thought he might have played a part, but it's not going to end up that way. We're going to go in with three quicks and an allrounder.

"There's probably a little bit more grass than I anticipated to be on it. That added bit of grass probably swayed our decision. I think it is going to be a good Test match for us. I think the facilities here are outstanding, I think the wicket is going to be a little bit more difficult perhaps than the Shield match, but I don't think the conditions will be too dissimilar, so hopefully we can see a good five days of Test cricket."

The pioneering nature of the contest has been underlined by a noticeably bigger build-up than the first two Tests of the series, while the players are to be playing for a one-off cash inducement of $1 million to be split 60/40 between the victors and the vanquished. Smith played down the money, and resorted to his usual approach of terming the concept "exciting" rather than anything to be cynical about.

"We are not really worrying about prize money, our main focus is to win the series against New Zealand, they are our cross-town rivals in a way," Smith said. "I think it is a really exciting concept. I can't wait to get out and give it a crack, so I think the ball has had a lot of work, it is at a position now where it is going to hold up, particularly in these conditions out here at Adelaide Oval.

"So, I think it is a great concept, I think the crowds have rolled in. Obviously the first two Tests were a little bit disappointing with the crowds, and there is some big numbers expected for at least the first three days here, so I think it is really exciting for us moving forward.

"We've all batted under lights at different times of our careers whether it is white ball, red ball or pink ball, I don't think there is a huge difference, it is just a matter of going out there and adjusting and adapting to the conditions and playing what we are faced with. They have some quality bowlers who can swing the ball around and we are going to have to be aware of them."

Changes in tactics have been widely forecast for this match, given the vagaries created by the transition from day into night and the prospect of facing a brand new ball and spells of short bowling under lights. However Smith revealed that his much-commented upon decision to declare before stumps against South Australia in the Shield game had been motivated by a rather more traditional circumstance - giving his spearhead Mitchell Starc a few overs when he was angry. It is Starc who shapes as the most destructive force for Australia, particularly after the retirement of Mitchell Johnson in Perth.

"That Shield game, I think Starcy was pretty fired up and angry after being bounced for a few overs there," Smith said. "That was purely my decision, to declare that evening and have a crack. It worked out well in the end. But I don't think the tactics and so much has to change as much as people believe.

"Losing someone of the quality of Mitchell Johnson is always tough for a team, but I think Mitchell Starc is going to step up and fill that role. We saw that last week. It was extremely impressive to bowl 37 overs above 145kph consistently. Hopefully we can see a lot more of that."