Smith's leggies back on the menu

Captain Steve Smith will have to shelve his bowling reluctance during the Magellan Ashes after coach Darren Lehmann confirmed his skipper will feature with the ball during the series.

Smith, who famously debuted as a leg-spinning allrounder before transforming himself into the world's best Test batsman, recently spoke of his desire to step away from bowling duties in order to ease a workload that already includes captaining his country, fielding in the slips and, of course, his work with the bat.

Former leg-spinner Kerry O'Keeffe last week became the latest former player to urge the 28-year-old to bring himself into the attack more often, a refrain that has also come from bowling coach David Saker in the past and again from Lehmann on Sunday.

With Australia to field four specialist bowlers and no allrounder in the first Test at The Gabba, starting on Thursday, the coach said the skipper will be called upon to share the load.

"He'll have to bowl at some stage, I'm sure," Lehmann said.

"England are a quality side and he's got some key wickets against England before. So he'll bowl at some stage.

"We're always trying to make him bowl. He'll certainly bowl some during the series."

Smith has become an increasingly rare sight at the bowling crease in Test cricket, particularly since he took over the captaincy more than two years ago.

He took 13 wickets from 109 overs in 25 Tests under the leadership of Michael Clarke between 2013 and 2015, when he was picked primarily as a batsman.

But in 26 games with the 'c' next to his name, Smith taken just one wicket from 36 overs bowled, and he didn't bowl at all in six Tests on the subcontinent this year.

Despite a handy record in Tests, including six Ashes wickets, he said last month that he was finding it increasingly difficult to fit bowling work into his already busy schedule.

"I certainly could bowl if need be," he said. "I'd prefer not to.

"Bowling leg-spin, it takes a lot of time. For me to get a rhythm that I need, it's about bowling for so long and I like to focus on my batting.

"And when I'm not batting, I like to watch the nets and ensure guys are training the right way - watching them prepare and giving them advice. Then I obviously have to do my catching work.

"I've got to do all those things and it's just not possible to do everything with the things I want to do around the team."

Australia's decision to pick six frontline batsmen to start this series continues a recent trend away from their previous tactic of picking an allrounder to ease the workload of their main bowlers.

Having included pace-bowling allrounders Shane Watson and then Mitchell Marsh for much of Lehmann's coaching tenure, the Aussies last year played a specialist batsman at No.6 (Callum Ferguson and then Nic Maddinson) in four of six home Tests last summer.

And the potency of Australia's bowling attack for the first Test and the inability of Hilton Cartwright or Glenn Maxwell to force their way into the middle order has convinced selectors that strengthening their top six with Shaun Marsh was a smarter option.

"We didn't play one last year so we were comfortable with three fast bowlers and Lyon," Lehmann said.

"So we're really comfortable we can get 20 wickets with that."

2017-18 International Fixtures

Magellan Ashes Series

Australia Test squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Jackson Bird, Chadd Sayers.

England Test squad: Joe Root (c), James Anderson (vc), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Gary Ballance, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Mason Crane, Tom Curran, Ben Foakes, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ben Stokes, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Chris Woakes.

First Test Gabba, November 23-27. Buy tickets

Second Test Adelaide Oval, December 2-6 (Day-Night). Buy tickets

Third Test WACA Ground, December 14-18. Buy tickets

Fourth Test MCG, December 26-30. Buy tickets

Fifth Test SCG, January 4-8 (Pink Test). Buy tickets

ODI Series v England

First ODI MCG, January 14. Buy tickets

Second ODI Gabba, January 19. Buy tickets

Third ODI SCG, January 21. Buy tickets

Fourth ODI Adelaide Oval, January 26. Buy tickets

Fifth ODI Perth Stadium, January 28. Join the ACF

Prime Minister's XI

PM's XI v England Manuka Oval, February 2. Buy tickets

T20 trans-Tasman Tri-Series

First T20I Australia v NZ, SCG, February 3. Buy tickets

Second T20I – Australia v England, Blundstone Arena, February 7. Buy tickets

Third T20I – Australia v England, MCG, February 10. Buy tickets

Fourth T20I – NZ v England, Wellington, February 14

Fifth T20I – NZ v Australia, Eden Park, February 16

Sixth T20I – NZ v England, Seddon Park, February 18

Final – TBC, Eden Park, February 21