Adelaide could lead to follow-on re-think

Mitchell Starc says skipper Steve Smith will probably consult his bowling unit in future follow-on decisions to avoid a repeat of the captain's stressful finish to the second Magellan Ashes Test in Adelaide.

Smith came under fire for not sending England in to bat again to face the swinging pink ball when the tourists trailed by 215 runs on the first innings, with the likes of Shane Warne among those to question the call.

The skipper admitted he needed a sleeping pill on the fourth night as he not only tossed and turned over not giving his bowlers another crack, but after also wasting two reviews and putting down a catch as England threatened to pull off an unlikely comeback victory.

It was revealed during the Test that Smith did not consult with his bowling unit before deciding to give them a rest, which Starc said on Thursday will likely change in future.

"If we're in that position again, I'm sure we'll chat about it as a group," he said.

"As Smithy said, it's a long summer. It's a massive series for us. The three of us (Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins) haven't really played that much cricket together, in the longer formats anyway, and there's a lot of cricket to be played after the series as well.

"So, in the end, we won the Test match anyway so the follow-on's irrelevant."

As Starc, Smith and coach Darren Lehmann have all pointed out, the skipper's decision was ultimately immaterial given Australia won the match by 120 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the series.

Lehmann said he did speak to Smith before the follow-on decision was made and backed his skipper's judgement.

"We all chat about it, the coaching staff and the skipper," Lehmann told 5AA on Thursday.

"He has a call out on the field and he has to make that call pretty quickly.

"(I have) no dramas with it. Obviously it was a tough call at night, but give your bowlers a rest ... and the result is exactly what we're after anyway. So that's vindicated."

2017-18 International Fixtures

Magellan Ashes Series

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

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 Australia won by 10 wickets. Scorecard

Second Test Australia won by 120 runs (Day-Night). Scorecard

Third Test WACA Ground, December 14-18. Tickets

Fourth Test MCG, December 26-30. Tickets

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

Gillette ODI Series v England

First ODI MCG, January 14. Tickets

Second ODI Gabba, January 19. Tickets

Third ODI SCG, January 21. Tickets

Fourth ODI Adelaide Oval, January 26. Tickets

Fifth ODI Perth Stadium, January 28. Tickets

Prime Minister's XI

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

Gillette T20 trans-Tasman Tri-Series

First T20I Australia v NZ, SCG, February 3. Tickets

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

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