Melbourne, 21 July (H.S.): Cricket Australia on Tuesday announced a 13-member squad for the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, scheduled to be played in August. Captain Pat Cummins, fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, and experienced spinner Nathan Lyon have returned to the squad after recovering from injuries, providing a major boost to the Australian side.

Hazlewood missed the entire Ashes series after suffering an Achilles injury while recovering from a hamstring problem. Meanwhile, Lyon had been away from competitive cricket for a long period after undergoing surgery following a hamstring injury during the Adelaide Test.

On the other hand, Pat Cummins returned from a lower-back stress injury and featured only in the Adelaide Test. He was rested for the final two Ashes matches as a precautionary measure after Australia retained the Ashes series.

Cummins and Hazlewood were also ruled out of the T20 World Cup held in India and Sri Lanka, although both made separate returns during the Indian Premier League. Lyon has not played any competitive match since the Adelaide Test.

Chief selector George Bailey, speaking to Cricket Australia, said, “The National Selection Committee welcomes the return of Pat, Josh and Nathan. Over the past few months, all three players have worked extremely hard with the sports science and sports medicine teams to recover from their respective injuries.”

Following the return of senior bowlers, Michael Neser, who claimed 15 wickets during the Ashes, and Brendan Doggett have been left out of the squad. However, Neser, Doggett, and off-spinner Todd Murphy are training with the main squad and could be called up if required.

Bailey said, “This is a squad of 13 players, but other players are fully prepared to step in if changes are required. With a continuous schedule of cricket ahead over the next 12 months, several players will get opportunities across all three formats.”

Australia have made no changes to their top-order batting combination. Ashes debutant Jake Weatherald has been given another opportunity and will open the innings alongside Travis Head. Following Usman Khawaja’s retirement, Head has been handed the responsibility of opening the batting.

Marnus Labuschagne, who has been struggling with form, has also retained his place in the squad. He scored 259 runs in the Ashes at an average of 28.78. Earlier, he was dropped from the playing XI during the West Indies tour.

The pace attack will feature Cummins and Hazlewood alongside Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland. All-rounders Cameron Green and Beau Webster are also contenders for a place in the playing XI. Reserve wicketkeeper Josh Inglis will compete for a spot in the middle order.

As part of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, the two Test matches will be played from August 13-17 in Darwin and from August 22-26 in Mackay.

The series will mark the beginning of Australia’s busy Test schedule, with the team set to play 14 Test matches over the next eight months. During this period, Australia will tour India and will also play a special Test match against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Test cricket.

Currently, Australia are at the top of the World Test Championship standings with 87.50 percentage points (PCT). The team has recorded seven wins and one defeat in eight matches so far.

Australia’s Test Squad for Bangladesh Series:

Pat Cummins (Captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar