Australian captain Pat Cummins has lauded the selflessness of Josh Hazlewood, after his fellow quick withdrawing from selection discussions prior to the Boxing Day Test.
The 31-year-old suffered a side strain earlier in the summer against West Indies and has since been replaced by the in-form Scott Boland.
Hazlewood was pushing for a return against South Africa for the second Test, but ultimately fell short and will now miss his third-straight match.
Boland will retain his position in the unchanged Aussie XI, with opening batsman David Warner set to play his 100th Test in front of a big crowd at the MCG.
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Speaking to the media prior to the clash, Cummins revealed that Hazlewood pulled out before the selectors were forced to make what would have been an agonisingly close call between him and Boland.
"We gave Joshy every chance...it just got to a stage where more than anyone else felt like he was a little bit underdone," Cummins said.
"It's a mark of the man really, he himself said 'I don't feel quite right', so he kind of pulled himself out of selection.
"We talk a lot about how (as) a team we need a squad mentality and I think it's another great example.
"We didn't really get to the decision point, we gave it enough time and it played out.
"There would have been a part of everyone that would've felt a little bit aggrieved if Scott missed out."
South Africa will be looking to bounce back and level the series in Melbourne, following a chaotic two-day Test at The Gabba last week.
Proteas captain Dean Elgar remained tight-lipped regarding the make-up of his side, but admits they will need plenty of improvement to topple the Aussies.
"The chat prior to the first Test [was about] playing the extra batter - but the little bit I can give away is our bowlers retain their spots," he said.
"If there is to be a change it will be amongst the batters..there's probably a change amongst the batters.
"We've always been in a good space since we've been in Australia. We've just been through a bit of a hurdle in the last week – but I think both batting units have been through that.
"We've started afresh and we know runs on the board is key. We've had a few good convos but at the moment talk is cheap. Your best reference point is putting performances on the board."
