India, Dec. 25 -- Australia's pace-first thinking for the fourth Ashes Test has been set out in plain terms by stand-in captain Steve Smith, who said the surface and recent trendlines have made it hard to justify a specialist spinner in Melbourne.

Speaking at the MCG on Thursday, Smith framed Australia's decision as a response to conditions rather than a philosophical knock on spin. The pitch, he indicated, looks primed to reward seam movement, making an extra fast-bowling option feel more valuable than a frontline spinner.

"A lot of wickets we're playing on at present are certainly more seam-friendly than spin-friendly," Smith said on Thursday. "Last week was an anomaly; we saw some rough, and we saw Nathan come into play big-time."

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