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Australia announce their Test squad for the first against Pakistan

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MenInG

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Australian men’s Test squad for the first NRMA Insurance Test match

The National Selection Panel (NSP) has named a 14-player men’s squad for the first NRMA Insurance Test match against Pakistan in Perth.

Australia plays three Tests against Pakistan in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne, followed by two Tests against the West Indies in Adelaide and Brisbane.

Australia:

Pat Cummins (NSW/Penrith Cricket Club) (c)

Scott Boland (VIC/Frankston Peninsula Cricket Club)

Alex Carey (SA/Glenelg Cricket Club)

Cameron Green (WA/Subiaco-Floreat Cricket Club)

Josh Hazlewood (NSW/St George Cricket Club)

Travis Head (SA/Tea Tree Gully Cricket Club)

Usman Khawaja (QLD/Valley District Cricket Club)

Marnus Labuschagne (QLD/Redlands Cricket Club)

Nathan Lyon (NSW/Northern District Cricket Club)

Mitchell Marsh (WA/Fremantle Cricket Club)

Lance Morris (WA/Scarborough Cricket Club)

Steve Smith (NSW/Sutherland Cricket Club)

Mitchell Starc (NSW/Manly Warringah Cricket Club)

David Warner (NSW/Randwick Petersham Cricket Club)

NSP men’s Chair of Selectors George Bailey said: “This group, led by Pat Cummins, has built a strong resume over an extended period. We believe they have earnt the opportunity to start in our first home Test match at the beginning of the new World Test Championship cycle.

“Thirteen members of the squad were part of the victorious World Test Championship and successful Ashes tours over the winter and Lance Morris has been recalled after recovering from his back injury over the same period.

“As ever, there will be opportunities in the short to medium term to break into this squad and we look forward to seeing the continued strong performances from players who have been performing domestically, many of whom will get a tremendous opportunity in the PM’s XI fixture against Pakistan later this week.”
 
Very strong squad, Warner Lyon, Smith, Starc, Cummins, Hazlewood half the team is already in legends category
 
ahmadharis1 said:
Stacked team as usual. We don't stand a chance. Hope to see Lance Morris make his debut, he's gonna be a name to remember for this decade
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Good team but lance is nothing special from what I have seen. He isn't even express. 140 to 145 is his limit.
 
Potential debutant picked in Australia's first Test squad to face Pakistan

Australia have named a 14-player squad for the first Test against Pakistan in Perth, including uncapped fast bowler Lance Morris.

Having enjoyed a prolific start to his first class career, taking 74 wickets at an average of 25.44, Morris could make his Test debut at Perth Stadium in his home state of Western Australia.

Capable of hitting 150kph on the speed gun, Morris looks uninhibited after returning from a back injury, taking 11 wickets in three outings in this season's Sheffield Shield.

Morris joins a world-class pace artillery, including captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland. Pace-bowling all-rounders Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh are included and will likely compete for one spot in the XI, while off-spinner Nathan Lyon beat out Todd Murphy for a spot in the squad having recovered from the calf injury that ruled him out of the Ashes series.

On the batting front, Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith were unsurprising inclusions, with David Warner also remaining an integral part of the group, given no back-up batter was named. Those in the running for a place in the squad, namely Cameron Bancroft, Matt Renshaw and Marcus Harris, have been named in the Prime Minister's XI to play Pakistan in an audition on December 6.

Capable of hitting 150kph on the speed gun, Morris looks uninhibited after returning from a back injury, taking 11 wickets in three outings in this season's Sheffield Shield.

Morris joins a world-class pace artillery, including captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland. Pace-bowling all-rounders Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh are included and will likely compete for one spot in the XI, while off-spinner Nathan Lyon beat out Todd Murphy for a spot in the squad having recovered from the calf injury that ruled him out of the Ashes series.

On the batting front, Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith were unsurprising inclusions, with David Warner also remaining an integral part of the group, given no back-up batter was named. Those in the running for a place in the squad, namely Cameron Bancroft, Matt Renshaw and Marcus Harris, have been named in the Prime Minister's XI to play Pakistan in an audition on December 6.

Men's selection panel chair George Bailey says those who lifted the World Test Championship mace earlier in the year deserved to return, though there is opportunity for those on the fringes to contribute in Australia's quest in the new WTC cycle.

“This group, led by Pat Cummins, has built a strong resume over an extended period. We believe they have earnt the opportunity to start in our first home Test match of the new World Test Championship cycle.

"As ever, there will be opportunities in the short to medium term to break into this squad and we look forward to seeing the continued strong performances from players who have been performing domestically, many of whom will get a tremendous opportunity in the PM’s XI fixture against Pakistan later this week," Bailey said.

Australia squad: (First Test only) Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Lance Morris, Steve Smith, Mitch Starc, David Warner

Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi

Tour Itinerary

First Test: December 14-18, Perth Stadium

Second Test: December 26-30, MCG

Third Test: January 3-7, SCG​

ICC
 
Khawaja
Warner
Labuschagne
Smith
Head
Marsh
Carey (WK)
Cummins (C)
Starc
Lyon
Hazlewood

This team will be way too good for Pakistan. Too much depth and too much quality in all positions plus home advantage.
 
kingusama92 said:
Khawaja
Warner
Labuschagne
Smith
Head
Marsh
Carey (WK)
Cummins (C)
Starc
Lyon
Hazlewood

This team will be way too good for Pakistan. Too much depth and too much quality in all positions plus home advantage.
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I think there are holes in the batting side with Warner and Smith is time related decline and marsh Carey @ 6-7 but we don’t have the bowling to take advantage of this.
 
Warner
Khawaja
Labuschagne
Smith
Head
Marsh
Carey (WK)
Cummins (C)
Starc
Lyon
Hazlewood

This is some team to face on Australian soil having the advantage of home conditions as well. Not having good feelings for Pakistan.
 
Australia should have used this as an opportunity to debut new players, there are good young players in this shield season.

Warner will retire and Khawaja is pretty old, so it doesnt make sense to not include bancroft or another young opener.

Australia will face a huge transition crisis in the future if they dont start grooming new players.
 
Australia’s batting is not as strong as it appears on paper, a quality bowling attack can stifle them. Unfortunately, our bowling attack is amongst the worst in the world.
 
Pakistan's aim should be to be competitive as possible in each session and leading on to each day.

No point in setting targets of test victories when there's a chalk and cheese difference.
 
To draw a test series with this team is an achievement on its own. Winning a test means that Pakistan has done something right which looks far away from reality atm.
 
kron said:
Good team but lance is nothing special from what I have seen. He isn't even express. 140 to 145 is his limit.
Click to expand...

I think he'll be regularly in the 150s if he's picked.

Unfortunately I think he only plays if Starc is injured or for some reason rested.
 
Imam
Shan
Saud
Shaheen

4 left handers in the top 8 against Lyon
 
Rana said:
Imam
Shan
Saud
Shaheen

4 left handers in the top 8 against Lyon
Click to expand...
Need to attack Lyon. Take him out of the game and then get their pace bowlers back on earlier which would make them fatigued. It's all tactical.

Get them to tire their main bowlers out by forcing them to make changes. Left right combo is needed to counter pace and spin

Yes Lyon is a thorn. We need to absolutely brutalise him.
 
BouncerGuy said:
To draw a test series with this team is an achievement on its own. Winning a test means that Pakistan has done something right which looks far away from reality atm.
Click to expand...
But see this isn't peak 2003 to 2006 Aussie side that steam rolled everyone. They very much have flaws that can be exploited. Don't get me wrong, they are a world class side but they are still beatable. I don't think we have the bowlers to do it but I would like to see fight and atleast break the hoodoo. Hopefully we make a concerted effort in winning atleast one test.
 
An effort is the least we are expecting from this team. Win or lose is a part of game but if you are going down, go down fighting.
 
Warner is playing his last test series . expected him to score one double century .
 
Warner has always been a threat to Pakistan and he usually feats on Pakistani bowlers. We might see him making another 200.
 
Mamoon said:
Australia’s batting is not as strong as it appears on paper, a quality bowling attack can stifle them. Unfortunately, our bowling attack is amongst the worst in the world.
Click to expand...

Even an attack of Rabada, Nortje, Jansen, Ngidi could not stop them last year. At home, they are a very strong batting lineup.
 
The new guy, Lance Morris, looks lethal.

In the Sheffield Shield 2023-24 so far, his stats are as follows:

Overs 82.5
Wickets 11
Average 25.5
Strike rate 45.1
 
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Strong Aussie squad... Pak bowling attack has to quickly adjust to the conditions and bowl well otherwise this time Warner or Travis head will break Laras record for 400...

Make a career and take it big kind of opportunity for the Pak players , including Babar and Shaheen... lets see what they can do..
 
Lance Morris' hopes of a hometown Test debut have taken a hit with chief selector George Bailey ruling out playing four quicks on the Perth Stadium surface for the first NRMA Insurance Test against Pakistan.

While revealing it was unlikely that Morris would jump incumbents Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood who were all "fit and firing" following Australia's World Cup triumph, Bailey says the selection panel still saw "enormous benefit" of having the West Australian tearaway around the squad for the Test summer.

Australia today named a 14-player squad to face Pakistan for the start of the home Test summer on December 14 with 25-year-old Morris the only uncapped player.

With seven Tests between December and the end of March, which includes three against Pakistan and two against the West Indies followed by a two-Test tour of New Zealand, there's a chance Morris could be called upon especially given the heavy workloads the 'big three' have had this year with an away Ashes into a 50-over World Cup.

And by having Morris among the squad like he was last summer, Bailey hopes it will help make his transition to Test level as smooth as it can be when his debut eventually comes.

"To be around those fast bowlers, to be around Dan Vettori and Andrew McDonald, and being a part of it so whenever that opportunity does arise, he feels as comfortable as he can and hopefully makes that transition as easy and as comfortable and as a Test debut may be," Australia's men's selection chair told reporters following today's squad announcement.

But Bailey says selectors also won't be handing out Baggy Greens as a way of "future proofing" Australia's Test team with each match also a crucial opportunity to secure World Test Championship (WTC) points, with Australia the current holders having defeated India at The Oval in June.

"I don't think you necessarily have to do too much future proofing in Test cricket," he said.

"The way that World Test Championship points are set up where each Test is critical, and each Test has points on the line, I think you've got to respect the players desire to play Test cricket.

"Looking one of those players in the eye and telling them that they're not playing a Test, or you're devaluing a Test because of the perceived (weakness of an) opponent, I don't think you ever know what an opponent is going to be like until you're playing.

"You've just got to respect the fact that everyone who plays Test cricket is desperate to be there."

Bailey, however, was quick to point out that given the toll of fast bowling, opportunities often naturally arose to bring fresh members into the attack, such as when Scott Boland debuted on Boxing Day in the 2021-22 Ashes.

"We've seen across the last couple of years there's often opportunities that do open up in the fast-bowling space," he said.

"If or when they do, we're really comfortable with the guys (like) Scott and Lance in this squad and a number of other guys that have been in and around that Test squad for a number of years."

One of those quicks around the squad in the past is fellow WA speedster Jhye Richardson who made an electric return to first-class cricket last week with five wickets in his first red-ball match in a year after being sidelined for most of 2023 through injury.

Richardson – who played his last Test at Adelaide in the 2021-22 Ashes – underwent off-season hamstring surgery before dislocating his right shoulder while fielding for the WA Second XI in October when on the cusp of a return to the top level.

"Thrilled to see him back and excited to see the way that he impacted as quickly as he did," Bailey said of Richardson's 4-36 and 1-27 against Queensland at the Gabba.

"It's been an unfortunate run of injuries he's had over the past couple of years but the one thing he has done is every time he's come back is make an impact straightaway.

"So there's clearly a high skill level there that we like and we're as excited, as I'm sure he is and Western Australia and all the Jhye Richardson fans out there are, that he's back playing.

"So you throw him into that bunch of guys who are in the frame for opportunities going forward that includes Scott, Lance, Jhye and Michael Neser, they've all had opportunities and we're excited about the opportunities they may get in the future."

Veteran opener David Warner has also been backed as part of Australia's best XI to win the first Test as he eyes a farewell match at the SCG at the conclusion of the three-match series to bow out of the format.

Bailey also revealed there was no discussion about elevating Josh Inglis to the Test squad after the WA gloveman unseated incumbent Alex Carey during the World Cup, with "no link at all between the one-day and Test teams" in terms of selection.

"Each Test is critical, there's (WTC) points on the line for each and every game so our focus is very much on picking the XI that we think can do the job," Bailey said.

"We've been pretty consistent around the fact that with any player, it's how they perform as an individual and then how that performance actually fits into the function of the team and that won't change."

www.cricket.com.au

Selectors resist 'future proofing' with WTC points on the line | cricket.com.au

National selectors focus on picking the best XI to 'do the job' as Australia target consecutive…
www.cricket.com.au www.cricket.com.au
 
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Pakistan will be whitewashed.Australia produces good crickets because they have a very strong and competitive domestic system so their players don’t find it hard to step up to test level.Pakistan domestic structure is very poor.Lots of nepotism,politics,poor coaches,poor pitches etc are the reason Pakistan can’t produce world class players.The few decent players which make it to the top are through pure luck.There is no system to develop players from u-19 to test level.
 
Fenrir said:
Pakistan will be whitewashed.Australia produces good crickets because they have a very strong and competitive domestic system so their players don’t find it hard to step up to test level.Pakistan domestic structure is very poor.Lots of nepotism,politics,poor coaches,poor pitches etc are the reason Pakistan can’t produce world class players.The few decent players which make it to the top are through pure luck.There is no system to develop players from u-19 to test level.
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Logical. Australian domestic structure is far ahead from Pakistan National Team structure.
 
Australians have made their tactics and approach very clear. They are going to ruthlessly target us with pace and bounce. Our batters desperately need to become men on this tour.
 
Pakistan will easily score 400 against this team. Its the bowlers who need to stand up and deliver.

If Shaheen bowls at 140+ it would be great
 
Even if you built an all-time Pakistan team, it would still have a hard time winning in Australia and its going to be impossible for this group.

I think even one win or draw is the best they can hope for and honestly would be an encouraging step. And I think if they were to even win one or draw, it will take Babar doing something epic.
 
This Aussie squad is strong, pak will have to be at their best and need to do something special if they hope they get a win
 
kron said:
Need to attack Lyon. Take him out of the game and then get their pace bowlers back on earlier which would make them fatigued. It's all tactical.

Get them to tire their main bowlers out by forcing them to make changes. Left right combo is needed to counter pace and spin

Yes Lyon is a thorn. We need to absolutely brutalise him.
Click to expand...

Rana said:
Imam
Shan
Saud
Shaheen

4 left handers in the top 8 against Lyon
Click to expand...

Highly doubt we’ll survive long enough for Lyon to come in to the attack.
 
YousafTheBeast said:
Highly doubt we’ll survive long enough for Lyon to come in to the attack.
Click to expand...
Why? Our batting isn't the issue bro. Bowling is. Aussies can't play lefties as good as righties. We need to survive the first 20 overs then it gets a lot easier.
 
Fenrir said:
Pakistan will be whitewashed.Australia produces good crickets because they have a very strong and competitive domestic system so their players don’t find it hard to step up to test level.Pakistan domestic structure is very poor.Lots of nepotism,politics,poor coaches,poor pitches etc are the reason Pakistan can’t produce world class players.The few decent players which make it to the top are through pure luck.There is no system to develop players from u-19 to test level.
Click to expand...
Atleast pick the right players. Sameen gul should be in the team.
 
kron said:
Why? Our batting isn't the issue bro. Bowling is. Aussies can't play lefties as good as righties. We need to survive the first 20 overs then it gets a lot easier.
Click to expand...

We’ve had stronger batting xi’s get bowled out in 30 overs in Australia, our current team is heavily reliant on one player, Babar Azam. Shafique, Saud and Imam are good for test cricket but do I expect them to survive 3 sessions in a day, nope.
 
They are run very professionally. All selections based on merit
Maybe one or 2 get by through recommendations but mostly via merit is what takes precedence. Complete opposite to us. Until we fix the fundamental issues that is pervasive amongst our cricketing fraternity, we will continue to see mediocre results. Also why aren't we sending A team to tour Australia. That's how you develop players to get used to conditions.
 
kron said:
Need to attack Lyon. Take him out of the game and then get their pace bowlers back on earlier which would make them fatigued. It's all tactical.

Get them to tire their main bowlers out by forcing them to make changes. Left right combo is needed to counter pace and spin

Yes Lyon is a thorn. We need to absolutely brutalise him.
Click to expand...
Who going attack him its not easy pant done that easily
 
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