New Delhi, Dec. 25 -- Stand-in captain Steve Smith has locked in an all-seam bowling line-up for the fourth Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), favouring pace on a grassy surface while omitting specialist spinner Todd Murphy.

Smith, returning to lead after recovering from illness, described the MCG pitch as "quite furry, quite green" with 10mm of grass cover. Cool and overcast conditions forecast for the opening days should provide plenty of assistance for swing and seam.

Australia will go spinner-less for the third time in five Tests, a tactic that proved successful earlier in the series.

"I dare say it's going to offer quite a bit," Smith said. "Particularly, I think tomorrow's similar conditions to today, quite cold an...