Reuters: Steve Smith’s sole aim will be to keep Australia in the winning habit when they take on a Pakistan side contemplating the imminent departure of their most successful captain in the dead rubber Sydney test this week.

With a first test series win of the season already in the bag after the dramatic victory in the Boxing Day test in Melbourne, Australia have continued the reconstruction of their team ahead of February’s four-test tour of India.

The recall of Steve O’Keefe for a twin-spin attack and inclusion of debutant batting all-rounder Hilton Cartwright gives Australia the look of a team getting an early start on preparations for a tour of the sub-continent.

Captain Smith, however, is well aware that little more than a month ago Australian cricket was in crisis after the home series loss to South Africa and his sights are firmly on victory and securing a 3-0 triumph over Pakistan.

“The selectors probably have an eye on India and the guys that are a possibility to be there,” Smith told reporters on Monday.

“(But) you can’t think too far ahead. The conditions are completely different, it’s a different kind of spin that you get out here compared to India.

“We’re just focused on this test match at the moment, hopefully we can have a clean sweep.” Misbah-ul-Haq was so upset by the nature of the innings and 18-run defeat in Melbourne - a loss that ended his hopes of leading Pakistan to a first ever tour triumph in Australia - that he considered retiring from tests immediately. The 42-year-old, who been considering hanging up his bat for more than a year and has scored only 20 runs in four innings in the series, ultimately decided to lead his country into the match but the end cannot be far away.

“You have to fight as a sportsman and that’s important for me also,” he told reporters on Monday.

“Everyone, from the support staff to the players are up for that, so I’m also up. I need to play at my best.”

Pakistan will also be looking for better from another veteran batsman in Younus Khan to bolster a line-up that has shown a worrying fragility in their last few test matches.

As in Melbourne, the weather will be a factor with rain forecast at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) for all five days from Tuesday.

Head groundsman Tom Parker has promised a bit of traditional SCG turn, which is good news for O’Keefe and off-spinner Nathan Lyon but might also provide fitting conditions for Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah to show the full range of his powers.

Cartwright to debut, O’Keefe in as second spinner

Reuters: All-rounder Hilton Cartwright will make his debut for Australia in the dead rubber third test against Pakistan in Sydney on Tuesday, with left-armer Steve O’Keefe returning to the side as a second spinner alongside Nathan Lyon.

Cartwright, who has a batting average close to 45 in first class cricket, can also bowl medium pace and replaces Nic Maddinson in the side after the left-hander scored just 27 runs in his four innings in the series.

Captain Smith said 24-year-old batting all-rounder Cartwright had improved his bowling considerably over the last year and therefore would be used to ease the workload of frontline quicks Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

“I remember facing him a little while ago and I think since then he’s probably gained 10kph and got a lot more consistent with his areas,” Smith told reporters at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

“It just adds a little bit to the bowling stocks, and he deserves an opportunity to play at number six. I guess how much we’ll use him will depend on how the game goes.”

O’Keefe will replace pace bowler Jackson Bird in the only other change from the side that wrapped up the three-match series with a game to spare at the Melbourne Cricket Ground last week.

The 32-year-old edged out fellow left-arm spinner Ashton Agar, who had also been recalled to the squad, as the second slow-bowling option behind Lyon for the match at the SCG, which has typically produced slow, turning wickets.

“I thought (Bird) bowled particularly well in Melbourne but, look, conditions sometimes change the team,” Smith said.

“So, yeah, we’ve gone with two spinners on this occasion and it’s unlucky for Jackson. I thought he did bowl very well last week and he continues to improve.”

O’Keefe has played three previous tests, including the Sydney game last year against West Indies, but was injured on the tour of Sri Lanka earlier this year.

Australia: David Warner, Matthew Renshaw, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith (captain), Peter Handscomb, Hilton Cartwright, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Starc, Steve O’Keefe, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon.