Australia will leave it until the last minute to settle on a team for their first day-night Test abroad as they continue to familiarise themselves with the pink Dukes ball.

Pat Cummins left the door open for a four-man pace attack on the eve of the third Test against West Indies, which will be played with the English-branded Dukes ball rather than the Kookaburra version used for day-night Test matches in Australia.

Scott Boland appears the likely inclusion should selectors choose to go this way, which would result in a fully fit Nathan Lyon missing out for the first time since 2013.

“Everything’s an option, we haven’t settled on it,” Cummins told reporters at Jamaica’s Sabina Park on Friday.

“Mainly the pink ball, (we’re) trying to still get our heads around exactly what it’s going to do.

“We’ve had two sessions here … with the pink ball, (there’s) a few more unknowns so we just want to have another look at the wicket, give it a bit of time and work out a team later on today.”

The last Test Lyon missed through selection rather than injury was in 2013 when he was dropped firstly for Xavier Doherty (against India) and then Ashton Agar in the Ashes a few months later.

It’s been an even rarer sight for the 37-year-old to miss a Test in favour of four quicks, which last occurred at the WACA Ground in 2012 against India, though Australia did opt for two pace-bowling allrounders, Mitch Marsh and Cameron Green, in Manchester during the 2023 Ashes when the off-spinner had a calf injury and Todd Murphy was the bowler to miss out.

However, Lyon bowled just one over in his last pink-ball Test against India in Adelaide last summer, and there’s a sense the Dukes version will stay harder than the Kookaburra and therefore provide more assistance to the quicks on a Sabina Park surface that has been the only one this series to feature live green grass prior to day one.

West Indies’ middle and lower order has also made an effort to attack Lyon in the first two Tests in Barbados and Grenada with his economy rate of 5.08 the highest it has ever been in a bilateral series.

Lyon has only conceded four or more runs per over in three of the 45 Test series he’s played, going at exactly four an over in his two Tests against England’s ‘Bazballers’ during the 2023 Ashes and 4.40 an over during the 2013 tour of India, in which Australia were swept 4-0.

He’s also been hit for 14 sixes by West Indies batters in the first two Tests, the fourth most of any series he’s played, while his percentage of runs conceded via boundaries (75.2) is the highest of his career.

Despite his high economy rate, Lyon has still been effective with nine wickets at 18.33 this series, including three in each innings of the second Test to draw within one of Glenn McGrath (563 wickets) in second place on Australia’s all-time Test wicket-takers list.

The Aussie squad didn’t get their hands on the pink Dukes ball until their first training session in Kingston, with the past three days as much about discovery as it has been about batting and bowling.

Josh Hazlewood bowls to Cameron Green at training at Sabina Park // Tama Stockley-cricket.com.au

“(We’ll look at) exactly what we think we’re going to need here; nighttime as well, it seems to get darker here a bit early, so that last session might be a little bit longer than Adelaide,” Cummins said.

“The practice wickets look like a pretty good replica of the side (training) wickets, so we have another session today just to get the feel.

“The pink balls met us here in Jamaica, but they seem pretty good, a little bit different to the ‘Kookas’.

“In some ways, (the Dukes version) feels a bit closer to a red ball than a white ball; sometimes the pink (Kookaburra) balls can feel a bit more like a one-day ball … this one feels more like a hard leather.”

All 74 wickets taken by Mitch Starc in day-night Tests

West Indies captain Roston Chase will also leave it until Saturday’s coin toss to name his XI as the hosts weigh up leaving out 100-game veteran Kraigg Brathwaite in their search for more runs at the top of the order.

The opener has only managed one double-figure score in his last six Test innings, with knocks of 4, 4, 0 and 7 against Australia following scores of 9 and 52 in the second Test against Pakistan in January.

“The top order is a bit of a concern, (they’re) not getting those good starts that we’ve been looking for,” Chase said on the eve West Indies hosting just their second day-night Test.

One spot that is assured however is Mitchell Starc’s for his 100th Test appearance, with the most prolific bowler in day-night Test cricket out to add to his tally of 74 wickets with the pink ball as he becomes just the second Australian fast bowler after McGrath to reach the milestone.

“He’s been very consistent the 15 years I’ve known him,” Cummins said. “Whether it’s niggles, injuries, pain, flat wickets (or) non-selection, he’s just super resilient, just wakes up the next day and cracks on with it.”

Celebrating Mitchell Starc’s 100th Test

Qantas Tour of the West Indies

First Test: Australia won by 159 runs

Second Test: Australia won by 133 runs

Third Test: July 12-16, Kingston, Jamaica (4.30am AEST)

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster

West Indies Test squad: Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican (vc), Kevlon Anderson, Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Johann Layne, Mikyle Louis, Anderson Phillip, Jayden Seales

First T20I: July 20, Kingston, Jamaica (July 21, 11am AEST)

Second T20I: July 22, Kingston, Jamaica (July 23, 11am AEST)

Third T20I: July 25, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 26, 9am AEST)

Fourth T20I: July 26, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 27, 9am AEST)

Fifth T20I: July 28, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 29, 9am AEST)

West Indies T20 squad: TBC

Australia’s T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshius, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa