Australia announce playing XI for 1st Test against West Indies in Perth
Australia have announced their playing XI for the opening Test against West Indies at the Perth Stadium. Skipper Pat Cummins made the announcement on the eve of the Test, according to a report on the official website of Cricket Australia (CA).
The hosts have made a solitary change from the last Test that they played, which was against Sri Lanka in Galle in July this year. Seamer Josh Hazlewood returns to the side at the expense of leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson from the line-up.
Incidentally, this will only be Hazlewood's second Test of the year, having played just one against Pakistan in Rawalpindi back in March. He was injured for a good part of the home Ashes series whilst having to sit out in the sub-continent on a horse-for-course basis.
Opener Marcus Harris and pacer Scott Boland are the two players in the squad who have missed out on making the cut for the first Test.
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Australia XI for the first Test against West Indies: Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon
"You probably could have picked it 12 months ago" - Pat Cummins on Australia's playing XI
The report further quotes Cummins declaring the selection of the XI as an "easy decision" on the eve of the game. He went on to say that the same could haver been picked 12 months ago.
The skipper said:
"You probably could have picked it 12 months ago. Everyone has done well to get them fit and firing for this series and we’re in a really good place. Easy decision"
The two-match Test series, which is a part of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle of 2021-23, is the first time that the West Indies are touring Australia in seven years. The hosts wrapped up a 2-0 series win in the 3-match series in 2015-16, having whitewashed them by a similar margin in the Caribbean just months prior to it.
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Kraigg Brathwaite will lead the West Indies, who are positioned sixth in the WTC table with a points percentage of 50. The Aussies currently lead the charts with a points percentage tally of 70.
Can the West Indies challenge the might of the Aussies in their own backyard? Let us know in the comments section below!