Australia has bolstered its lineup for the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh, with captain Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon all named in the 13-man squad. The series is scheduled to take place in Darwin and Mackay this August. The trio missed Australia's previous Test appearance in Sydney last January due to injuries, but they have now been cleared to return to international duty.
National selector George Bailey expressed his approval regarding the group's availability. He noted that the players worked extensively with the sports science and sports medicine teams over recent months to recover from their respective injuries. Their return comes at the expense of Michael Neser, who performed well during the Ashes, while Todd Murphy and Brendan Doggett have been named as standby players after being part of the Sydney squad.
The retirement of Usman Khawaja has created an opening at the No. 5 batting position. While no new batting faces were added to the squad, Cameron Green is expected to move up to the No. 5 spot, likely batting ahead of Alex Carey and Beau Webster. Josh Inglis remains in the mix as the spare batter and wicketkeeper. Meanwhile, Jake Weatherald continues as an opener alongside Travis Head, having made just one half-century in his first 10 Test innings, averaging 22.33.
Hazlewood’s comeback presents a significant selection challenge regarding Scott Boland, 37, who has not missed a Test through injury in that time and has 82 Test wickets at 18.58 from 19 appearances. Hazlewood has faced a series of fitness setbacks: in 2021-22 he suffered a side strain, in 2022-23 he suffered another side strain, and he injured his Achilles in January 2023. He missed the 2023-24 season and the 2024-25 period remains a focus for his return to full fitness after playing 20 Tests. Cummins, conversely, has made limited appearances since last July, the same match in which Lyon sustained a serious hamstring injury.
The full 13-man squad for the Bangladesh series includes Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, and Beau Webster.
Usman Khawaja's retirement from Test cricket has opened up a spot at No. 5 in Australia's XI but the selectors have not added a fresh batting face to the group. Cameron Green and Beau Webster played together in Australia's last Test at Nos. 7 and 8 respectively and the duo look set to continue together with Green likel
Jake Weatherald has been retained as opener and will continue his partnership with Travis Head which yielded four half-century stands during the Ashes. But the 31-year-old will be keen for a big score in one of the two Tests in Darwin and Mackay having made just one half-century in his first 10 Test innings, averaging
