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Ashton Agar and Matthew Renshaw have been named to a 14-man squad for the third Test against South Africa, which begins on January 4 in Sydney.

The pair have been added to a squad that was hit by injury during the second Test in Melbourne, with allrounder Cameron Green and paceman Mitchell Starc both suffering fractured bowling fingers.

With Josh Hazlewood having recovered from a side strain and WA quick Lance Morris also in the squad, the pace options for selectors remain plentiful, but on a Sydney Cricket Ground pitch that coach Andrew McDonald has already suggested could be quite dry, WA allrounder Agar provides another genuine spin option.

The left-arm spinner and left-hand bat played the most recent of his four Tests in September 2017 in Chattogram, while his only first-class cricket in the past 18 months has come via two matches in recent weeks, for a Prime Minister's XI against West Indies, and for Western Australia against Queensland.

Agar was selected on this year's Test tour of Sri Lanka and looked likely to earn a long-awaited recall until he was ruled out of the series with a side injury, with Mitchell Swepson the second spinner selected instead.

Renshaw meanwhile has been earmarked as a long-term Test opener but could figure in this Australian side in the middle order as a replacement for Green, should selectors deem a four-man attack sufficient against a Proteas side that has struggled to post meaningful totals throughout 2022.

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Lance Morris, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vc), David Warner