Ashes 2019 | Cameron Bancroft, James Pattinson back as Australia announce 17-man squad
Australian national chief selector Trevor Hohns has announced the 17 men that will be travelling to England with the aim of defending the Ashes trophy in the five-match Test series. The squad was decided following an intra-squad match involving 24 players and includes only a solitary spinner.
Australian selectors, on Friday, announced the much-anticipated Australian squad for the first-ever Ashes that would be a part of the ICC World Test Championships and as expected, there were quite a few surprises.
David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, and Marcus Harris are the three specialist openers that will be a part of the team. Warner and Bancroft were the only two batsmen to cross the 50-run mark in a bowler dominated intra-squad match. While Warner will return to international duty in the red-ball format after a one year ban, Bancroft’s 93 not-out cemented his spot in the team. Harris, though underperformed, has been in serious form for the ‘A’ team and was last year’s highest run-scorer in the country’s domestic league.
In the middle order, ex-skipper Steven Smith is the other player who’ll be returning having served his ban. Usman Khawaja missed the warm-up match due to injury but his solid record meant his place in the team was never in doubt. Travis Head, on the other hand, was picked as he averages 51 from the eight matches he has played for the Baggy Green.
Matthew Wade's thousand-plus runs in the domestic league, not to mention his average of 100-plus in the three matches he played for the ‘A’ squad and the century against England Lions two weeks ago, have secured him a spot. He can also act as back-up keeper. Labuschagne’s sturdy innings of 41 and his skills as a spinner ensured him a place in the team, while Mitchell Marsh’s five-wicket haul and third-most runs in the intra-squad match ensured his inclusion. Skipper Tim Paine rounds of the list of potential middle-order players.
A series in the overcast UK summer warrants a strong pace lineup, making Australia go into the series with six specialist pacers. The long-term tried and tested trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have had huge success with the team and will once again be looking to spearhead the team’s bowling charge. However, James Pattinson’s form of late has earned him his first call up in nearly three years, as he gave the established trio a run for their money in the warm-up games.
Peter Siddle though in the scene for long now, has hardly ever looked as prolific and efficient as he does now. His five wickets were enough to make him a part of the squad, while the uncapped Michael Neser squares off the pacers list. He has an astounding record with the Duke ball in England having taken 54 shield wickets at an average of less than 17.
Nathan Lyon is the last name on the list and with 150-plus wickets, the only specialist spinner in the squad. The most surprising exclusion has to be Alex Carey, who despite a breakthrough World Cup campaign, could not make an impact in the all-whites, failing in both the innings in the intra-squad match. The first Test is scheduled to begin on August the first.
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