An under-pressure David Warner was on Wednesday dropped and included in Australia’s squad for the first two Ashes Tests and the World Test Championship final, while all-rounder Mitchell Marsh was recalled. Veteran opener Warner is struggling to save his career after a slow run with the bat that had some questioning whether his time was up. But the 36-year-old will go to England as part of a 17-man squad that includes Josh Inglis as cover for wicketkeeper Alex Carey and Marcus Harris and Matthew Renshaw as backup batsmen.
There was no place for batsman Peter Handscomb, who had recently arrived on the Test tour of India and is currently playing county cricket in England.
Spinners Ashton Agar, Mitchell Swepson, and Matt Kuhnman, who also went to India, were similarly overlooked, with Todd Murphy getting the nod as the second spinner for Nathan Lyon.
Big-hitting Marsh, who has been battling injuries for a long time, returns as a possible replacement for Cameron Green should he suffer an injury.
Chairman of Selectors George Bailey said, “Britain is very different to our most recent tour of India and some of the changes are based on the conditions we are expecting.”
“Marcus, Josh, and Mitch return to the team and provide valuable depth and flexibility within their respective skill sets.”
Australia will play India at The Oval in the World Test Championship final from June 7, followed by five Ashes Tests at Edgbaston, Lord’s, Headingley, Old Trafford, and The Oval.
Bailey said the selectors will assess the composition of the team after the first three matches.
“We see the importance of returning to the team after the second Ashes Test given the short turnaround and duration of the tour between the WTC final and the first Ashes Test,” he added.
Australia 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 Mitchell Starc, David Warner.