MELBOURNE : Australia captain Pat Cummins, fast bowler Josh Hazlewood and veteran spinner Nathan Lyon have returned from injury to headline a 13-man squad for next month’s two-test home series against Bangladesh.
The trio were named on Tuesday for the World Test Championship fixtures in Darwin (Aug. 13-17) and Mackay (Aug. 22-26) after featuring in only three tests between them during last summer’s Ashes series.
Australia’s premier bowling quartet of Cummins, Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Lyon have not played together since the tour of the West Indies a year ago because of injuries, but chief selector George Bailey said it was too early to confirm they would all feature in the opening test.
“We won’t be locking in an 11 this far out,” Bailey told reporters via video call.
“We do know that across this two-test series, the depth is there.”
Hazlewood returns after missing the entire Ashes campaign with hamstring and Achilles injuries. The 35-year-old has taken 295 test wickets at an average of 24.21 but faces strong competition from Scott Boland.
Boland claimed 20 wickets in Australia’s 4-1 Ashes series victory over England, strengthening his case for a permanent place in the side.
“Scotty would never say it, but yeah, I think he’s mounting a strong case that when you use the words of big three (fast bowlers), that he could be one of those,” Bailey said.
Hazlewood’s recall means there is no place for Michael Neser despite his impressive performances during the Ashes.
The squad is Australia’s first since opener Usman Khawaja retired from test cricket.
Jake Weatherald has retained his place despite averaging 22.33 during his debut Ashes series, with selectors backing the left-hander to improve after gaining experience alongside fellow opener Travis Head.
“Hopefully we do see some growth out of that (Ashes) and some understanding of what it takes for success at test level,” Bailey said.
All-rounders Cameron Green and Beau Webster were also retained despite Green’s disappointing Ashes campaign, while Josh Inglis remains in the squad as a middle-order batting option.
Australia lead the World Test Championship standings midway through the cycle and will seek to strengthen their position against fourth-placed Bangladesh before touring South Africa in October.
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster.
