Australia WTC Final Squad: Mitchell Marsh returns as Australia announces 17-man squad for WTC Final and Ashes

The good news for Australia was Pat Cummins returning to the helm of affairs.

Australia WTC Final Squad: Mitchell Marsh returns as Australia announces 17-man squad for WTC Final and Ashes

Star all-rounder Mitchell Marsh got a Test recall for the first time in four years as Cricket Australia (CA) announced a 17-member squad for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final and the first two Ashes Tests on Wednesday. Marsh had been missing out on a Test comeback due to injuries. However, after shining in his sole first-class outing of the season wherein he scored a quickfire century, Marsh has made a comeback to the Test setup.

He will be Australia’s key all-rounder alongside Cameron Green who has retained his place in the squad after his heroics against India earlier this year. Along with Green, the national selection panel has retained the core line-up that carried Australia to the WTC Final. Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, and all other key members have been retained.

Todd Murphy, who spun a web around India in the recently concluded Border Gavaskar series has also been included with veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon leading the spin department. Marcus Harris has been included as the auxiliary opener behind David Warner and Usman Khawaja.

The key names missing from the 17-man squad are Cameron Bancroft who finished the summer as the leading runs-scorer in the Marsh Sheffield Shield, Ashton Agar, Matthew Kuhnemann, Peter Handscomb, and Mitchell Swepson, all of whom were a part of the BGT series.

Related: Pat Cummins’ mother Maria Cummins dies after battling prolonged illness, Aussie players wear black armbands on Day 2

Pat Cummins returns as captain

pat cummins returns

The good news for Australia was Pat Cummins returning to the helm of affairs. The pacer missed out on the last two Tests of the BGT due to the passing away of his mother and is also not featuring in the Indian Premier League. However, Cummins has been selected to lead the side against India in the WTC Final slated to be played from 7 to 11 June at The Oval.

The squad, which will assemble in England in late May, will be trimmed to 15 on May 28 as per ICC requirements for the WTC Final. The 17 players named today will then begin preparations for the first two Tests of the subsequent Ashes campaign at Edgbaston (June 16-20) and Lord’s (June 28-July 2) before selectors revise the group for the last three Ashes Tests at Headingley, Old Trafford and The Oval.

Australia World Test Championship Final and Men’s Ashes squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, David Warner.

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