Australia start Ashes without Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood as Smith leads in Perth. Phottos: X.
England vs Australia Ashes: Australia launched their Ashes defence on Friday (November 21) in Perth without pace spearheads Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, leaving the team on the back foot ahead of the first Test at the Optus Stadium. With Cummins sidelined, Steve Smith steps in as captain.
Scott Boland and debutant Brendan Doggett are playing to cover for the missing fast-bowling duo, while Mitchell Starc heads the attack. All-rounder Cameron Green adds a fourth pace option for the hosts.
With the inclusion of Doggett and Boland, Australian cricket marks a historic first as it is the first time in the team’s 148-year history that two Indigenous players feature together in a Test-playing XI.
Both senior fast bowlers have been ruled out due to injuries. Pat Cummins has been nursing a back injury sustained after Australia’s tour of the West Indies, where he featured in all three Tests before opting out of the five-match T20I series. The issue resurfaced and forced him to sit out the white-ball contests against South Africa, New Zealand, and India.
Cummins has been seen bowling in the nets ahead of the Perth Test, and team management believes he has a strong chance of returning for the second Test in Brisbane, a day-night fixture.
Josh Hazlewood was in excellent rhythm during the recent white-ball matches but picked up a hamstring strain during New South Wales’ Sheffield Shield game last week.
Although the injury has not been labelled serious, Cricket Australia has yet to confirm a timeline for his return.
Meanwhile, opening batter Jake Weatherald is set to make his debut in Perth.
Usman Khawaja, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith (c), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Brendan Doggett, Scott Boland
Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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