Shaun Marsh dropped for Boxing Day

Joe Burns has retained his place for the Boxing Day Test, with Shaun Marsh dropped after scoring 182 in Australia's win over West Indies in Hobart. Usman Khawaja's return after a month out with a hamstring injury meant that someone had to make way, and Australia's selectors preferred to leave Marsh out rather than split up the opening partnership they believe is the future.

Burns and David Warner began their opening partnership with three successive century stands against New Zealand, including a 237-run effort in the second innings at the Gabba, where Burns also registered his maiden Test hundred. However, since that innings Burns has made starts but failed to reach fifty, while Marsh helped Australia to victory with 49 in the second innings in Adelaide.

Marsh followed that with a huge 449-run stand with Adam Voges in Hobart, the highest fourth-wicket partnership of all time in Test cricket. However, captain Steven Smith said the selectors had viewed the Burns-Warner partnership as important to stick with going forward, given the successful way they had started as a combination this summer.

"That was a big part of it," Smith said. "Joe has been playing quite good cricket. He scored a hundred only a couple of Tests ago so that was a big part of it. They average 80 as a pair and it's pretty important to have a good opening stand. They've been doing a very good job so the selectors thought that was the right way to go.

"We're always talking about what's coming up as well. There were a lot of conversations around it. Shaun is obviously extremely unlucky to miss out after scoring a brilliant 180 in the last Test match, and 49 under a bit of pressure in the Test before that. There were lots of talks about it but they believe that's the best way to go, going forward."

The return of Khawaja will allow Smith to move back down to No. 4 after he filled the No. 3 position in Adelaide and Hobart. Smith sat out of the opening week of the BBL season to rest his sore knee and hip, and he said he was better for the time spent off the field.

"It's been good, actually," Smith said. "My knee is probably feeling as good as it has all summer. That's all good. The hip has settled down. I'm good to go."

Australia made no other changes to their XI, with Scott Boland the bowler to miss out, and Victorians Peter Siddle and James Pattinson to join Josh Hazlewood in the Boxing Day pace attack. West Indies are yet to confirm their XI and while captain Jason Holder indicated on Thursday that allrounder Carlos Brathwaite was the front-runner to replace the injured Shannon Gabriel, Smith would not be surprised to see legspinner Devendra Bishoo included.

"I think there's a possibility of them playing two spinners," he said, "we'll just see how it goes in the morning."