Australia has announced its squad for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India and the Ashes series to be played in England. All-rounders Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Harris and Josh Inglis have been recalled to the Test squad while Peter Handscomb has been left out despite a productive India tour recently. Meanwhile, Harris has overtaken Cameron Bancroft as the back-up opener this year despite scoring 945 runs in the Sheffield Shield season. On the other hand, Harris also scored 601 runs but is far behind Bancroft in terms of numbers.
David Warner was under pressure after the poor India series but has been retained for now but Harris’ selection in the team will keep him on his toes to deliver consistent performances. Mitchell Marsh is set to return to this format for the first time since the 2019 Ashes series. He is currently playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) but has played only one first-class game since recovering from injury. Todd Murphy has been picked as the second spinner as a back-up to the experienced Nathan Lyon. Meanwhile, Cricket Australia selector George Bailey has said that the squad will be reconsidered ahead of the second Ashes Test.
“The World Test Championship is the culmination of more than two years of consistent performances at Test level by the team and the individuals involved, leading into an Ashes series that is always highly anticipated. Marcus Josh and Mitch return to the team and will provide valuable inputs.” depth and flexibility within their respective skillsets. Given the short turnaround with the length of the tour between the WTC final and the first Ashes Test, we see value in revisiting the team after the Second Ashes Test.
The squad for the WTC final will be capped at 15 members as per ICC rules, while Australia will leave for the UK in the last week of May. The WTC final between India and Australia will begin on June 7, while the first Ashes Test will begin on June 20.
Australia squad for WTC final and Ashes: 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.