Australia name full strength squad for Pakistan tour
Australia (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)
Cricket Australia (CA) has announced a full-strength squad for the three-match Test series against Pakistan. Most of these players were part of the recently concluded Ashes series Down Under. Pacer Jhye Richardson has been left due to workload management. Apart from this, Ashton Agar has been added to the squad alongside spin-bowling spearhead Nathan Lyon and his understudy Mitchell Swepson.
Swepson is yet to make his Test debut. Josh Hazlewood has also been named in the squad, who didn’t play after the first game of the Ashes due to a side strain. However, he will make his international comeback in the preceding T20I series against Sri Lanka this month. Josh Inglis has been included as the reserve wicketkeeper. The first-choice players deciding to tour Pakistan will bring joy for the fans in the Asian country.
A lot of young fans and children will witness the likes of Mitchell Starc, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, etc. Here is the 18-man squad announced for the Test series. According to the sources, the team for limited-overs will be announced towards the end of Test series.
Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, Steven Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner
Chief selector George Bailey has said that the Test squad covers all the scenarios which the team might face in Pakistan. Bailey added that Pakistan tour will prepare the team for the 50-over World Cup in India. “This squad covers for all scenarios including the conditions given it has been such a long time since Australia was last in Pakistan,” Bailey said. “With several subcontinent tours and a one-day World Cup in India on the near horizon this is a great first-up challenge for the group after the successful home Ashes Series.
