Australia have named a 15-man squad for the first two Ashes Tests against England.
Batsman, Usman Khawaja is recalled having not played Test cricket since August 2019 when Australia retained the Ashes with a 2-2 draw in England.
Khawaja played in the first three Tests of the 2019 Ashes Series before he was dropped for the final two matches after defeat at Headingley, Leeds, England.
Fast bowler Jhye Richardson has also been selected along with two players yet to make their Test debut, leg-spinner, Mitchell Swepson and fast bowler, Michael Neser.
All-rounder Mitchell Marsh, who made a match-winning innings in the ICC Twenty/20 Cricket World Cup final last Sunday has not been selected.
Wicketkeeper-batsman, Matthew Wade is not included, while opener Will Pucovski also misses out as he recovers from concussion symptoms.
The first Test is in Brisbane on 8th December, before a day-night match in Adelaide on 16th December. The third Test is scheduled to start on 26th December in Melbourne, with the fourth in Sydney on 5th January, and the final match at Perth on 14th January.
The squad is Tim Paine (captain and wicket-keeper), Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne , Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Steve Smith and David Warner.
Australia have played only three Test series since 2019, all at home, beating Pakistan and New Zealand before being stunned 2-1 by India in January, when they lost at the Gabba in Brisbane for the first time since 1988.
You must be logged in to post a comment.