Australia has unveiled a 17-player squad for the World Test Championship final and the first half of this year’s Ashes campaign in England, with Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Harris earning a call-up for the highly-anticipated Test series.
David Warner has retained his spot in the squad despite a recent dip in form, while Queensland’s Matthew Renshaw has also secured a ticket to England following a prolific Australia A tour in New Zealand.
Peter Handscomb and Cameron Bancroft missed out on selection, along with Queensland all-rounder Michael Neser and spinners Matthew Kuhnemann and Mitchell Swepson. West Australian paceman Lance Morris was not eligible for selection due to injury.
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“The World Test Championship is the culmination of more than two years of consistent performance at Test level by the team and the individuals involved, leading into an Ashes series which is always highly anticipated,” chair of selectors George Bailey said in a statement.
“The UK is a very different assignment from our most recent tour of India and some of the changes are based upon the conditions we are anticipating.
“Marcus, Josh (Inglis) and Mitch return to the squad and provide valuable depth and flexibility within their respective skillsets.
“We see value in revisiting the squad following the second Ashes Test given the short turnaround between the WTC final and the first Ashes Test, along with the length of the tour.”
Marsh, who played Test cricket during the 2019 Ashes, recently recovered from ankle surgery, but has been in blistering form with the bat since his return.
This winter, Pat Cummins’ men will be looking to secure their maiden World Test Championship title and become the first Australian outfit to win an Ashes series in England since 2001.
After a dominant 18 months in the five-day format, Australia finished top of the World Test Championship ladder to qualify for the final, where they will face India.
Australia comfortably won the previous Ashes series 4-0, but England has drastically revolutionised its approach to Test cricket since the 2021/22 summer, winning ten of their 12 matches since coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes took charge.
Unlike previous Ashes tours, Australia has named a squad for the opening two Ashes Tests at Edgbaston and Lord’s, with another squad for the remaining three matches to be announced during the tour.
The World Test Championship final between Australia and India gets underway at The Oval on June 7, while the first Ashes Test commences at Edgbaston on June 16.
Australian Test Squad
Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, David Warner
