O'Keefe 'more than likely' for SCG - Lehmann

Steve O'Keefe appears set to play the third Test against West Indies, although Sydney's questionable weather forecast could yet scupper his bid to add to his solitary Test cap. Australia's coaches and medical staff will monitor the fast bowlers over the next two days, with Peter Siddle's ankle problem the main concern after he bowled only nine overs of 88.3 in West Indies' second innings in Melbourne.

Siddle will need to prove his fitness by bowling in the nets in the coming days and if he struggles, Victoria fast bowler Scott Boland could make his debut, but the greater likelihood is that O'Keefe would be used in a twin spin attack with Nathan Lyon. Even if all the fast bowlers are fit there is a strong chance that O'Keefe will play, given what the selectors have seen from the SCG this summer.

"In the games we've been watching it's been spinning, so I would say more than likely it'll be two spinners," coach Darren Lehmann said on Wednesday. "But until we get there - and the weather, there's a bit of weather about - so we'll have to sum that up probably closer to day one I would think, before we make a decision. Obviously we've got to wait for all the fitness on the quicks as well."

The last time Australia played two spinners in a Sydney Test was arguably the 2011 Ashes Test, when Michael Beer debuted and Steven Smith was used as an allrounder batting at No.7. However, leaving aside Smith's legspin, the last time Australia fielded two specialist spinners at the SCG was in 2006, when Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill worked in tandem against South Africa.

The forecast indicates rain on the first three days, which might be the key factor hampering O'Keefe's chances of playing his second Test, after debuting against Pakistan in Dubai last year. However, O'Keefe's 17 Sheffield Shield wickets at 24.64 this summer make him an appealing prospect, and Mitchell Marsh's increased pace and wickets at the MCG allows the balance.

"That certainly helps the scenario, the way he bowled," Lehmann said of Marsh. "I thought he was fantastic yesterday. It allows us to really still play three genuine quicks and allows us to play two spinners. That's a real option for us ... looking further ahead to subcontinent conditions [Test tour of Sri Lanka in 2016] we need to make sure we've got two spinners up and running."

It is unlikely that Australia will know their likely XI until the day before the Test, with the squad travelling on Thursday and optional training sessions on Friday and Saturday meaning the fast bowlers might not work until match eve. Siddle is the major question mark in the pace attack, given Smith was reluctant to use him often in the second innings in Melbourne due to the pain in his ankle.

"He's an important player for us, but we've got to make sure he's ready to go," Lehmann said. "As you could see he went off the ground a few times and saw the doctor, so very painful. But again we've just got to weigh that up and see how he pulls up over the next couple of days. He'd have to bowl for a start, to make sure he's all right. If he doesn't bowl then it's going to be a struggle for him."

One thing Australia's selectors will not be doing is experimenting for the sake of it, despite the fact that the Frank Worrell Trophy has already been retained. Lehmann insisted that no players would be rested, with Josh Hazlewood expected to play unless there are any physical reasons that he would be unable to get through the five days of a Test.

"I think we've done that [experiment] in the past, we've tried a few things in the last Test [of a series] and come unstuck," Lehmann said. "So with a young group you really want to keep playing the way you're playing and keep building on the confidence. As long as they're all fit and ready to go they'll play."

Fitness will not be the only area in which the fast bowlers are monitored over the coming days at training in Sydney: expect the coaching staff to be watching closely for no-balls in the nets. After James Pattinson twice thought he had Carlos Brathwaite dismissed on day three, only to be called for front-foot no-balls, Josh Hazlewood made the same mistake and was denied the wicket of Darren Bravo on the fourth day.

"We were all disappointed and we spoke about it the night before with James doing it twice," Lehmann said. "It's not good enough from a bowling group, they know that, we know that. So we've got to put things in place to make sure it doesn't happen during a game again. That's getting it right at training, they were creeping up a little bit in the nets. They understand that. No one means to do it, but certainly the basics we need to get better at."