New Delhi. The Australian squad for the first two matches of the Ashes series to be played under the ICC World Test Championship has been announced. The Ashes series between England and Australia has been going on for a long time and now again both the countries will be a part of this series. Usman Khwaja has returned to the Australian team for the first two matches of this five-match series. He last played for the Test team in August 2019 and that was the match of the previous Ashes series. The previous Ashes series was tied at 2-2.
Meanwhile, Mitchell Marsh, who played the match winning innings in the final match of T20 World Cup 2021, has not been given a place in the team. The first test match is starting from December 8 in Brisbane. The second match will be played in Adelaide from December 16 and this match will be a day-night match, which will be played with Pink Ball. However, Usman Khwaja has been selected in the team not as an opener but as a middle order batsman. It is believed that Marcus Harris will be seen opening with David Warner in at least the first two Tests.
Along with leg-spinner Mitchell Swapson and pacer Michael Nesser, pacer Joy Richardson has also been selected. Wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Wade has not been included in the 15-member Test squad, while batsman Will Pukowski is also out of the squad as he suffered a concussion. George Bailey, Chairman of the National Selection Panel, said, “After an extended break between Test matches, we want to build a strong team mentality in the incredibly exciting summer season of cricket. We are ready for the many challenges of the Ashes series. The group is well-balanced to ensure that it has a mix of experienced, proven artists and emerging, developing talents. ”
The Australian team is as follows
Tim Payne (captain), Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khwaja, Marnus Labushane, Nathan Lyon, Michael Nesser, Joy Richardson, Mitchell Stark, Mitchell Swapson, Steve Smith and David Warner.
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