Australia announce playing XI for first Test against Bangladesh
Darwin : Australia have announced their playing XI for the first Test against Bangladesh, with veteran seamer Josh Hazlewood preferred over Scott Boland as the hosts reunite their pace trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Hazlewood.
Australia captain Cummins confirmed on the eve of the Test that Boland would miss out, with Hazlewood returning to the side for their first Test in eight months.
Nathan Lyon also returns to the XI after missing the latter part of the Ashes due to a hamstring injury. All-rounder Cameron Green has retained his place alongside fellow all-rounder Beau Webster, with Australia continuing with two pace-bowling all-rounders.
Boland had played in all five Ashes Tests last summer, stepping up as Cummins, Hazlewood and Lyon missed significant portions of the series. The pacer is expected to remain an important part of Australia’s plans during a busy period in which they could play up to 21 Tests over the next 12 months.
The first Test will be played from August 13 to 17 at Marrara Stadium in Darwin, followed by the second Test from August 22 to 26 at Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay. The two-match Test series between Australia and Bangladesh will be part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship 2025-2027 cycle. Australia is ranked second in the points table, whereas Bangladesh is placed fourth.
Australia playing XI for the first Test: Jake Weatherald, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Beau Webster, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, and Josh Hazlewood. Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, and Beau Webster.
Bangladesh squad (first Test): Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mehidy Hasan Miraz (vc), Soumya Sarkar, Shadman Islam, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das, Amite Hasan, Jaker Ali, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain Chowdhury, Musfik Hasan.
