Last Updated on 53 minutes ago by Charbel Coorey
Darwin will host a Test for the first time since 2004 when Australia take on Bangladesh from August 13-17. The series will be Australia’s first assignment in the format since sealing the Ashes 4-1 in January.
Australia’s XI will have at least one change with Usman Khawaja now retired. There are some key question marks including who opens, whether there is room for both Cameron Green and Beau Webster, and if Australia will play their first-choice bowling attack.
Darwin Test: A look at Australia’s possible playing 11 for 1st match against Bangladesh
1. Travis Head, 2. Jake Weatherald, 3. Marnus Labuschagne, 4. Steve Smith, 5. Cameron Green, 6. Alex Carey (wk), 7. Beau Webster, 8. Pat Cummins (c), 9. Mitchell Starc, 10. Nathan Lyon, 11. Josh Hazlewood
Will Australia back Jake Weatherald?
Jake Weatherald was handed a debut in last year’s Ashes after strong performances in First Class cricket. The left-hander had a modest series, scoring 201 runs at an average of 22.33. The repetitive nature of the dismissals were a concern.
However, the Darwin-born Weatherald is tipped to feature in the Bangladesh series.
“Player selection will be determined closer to the time, but I’m pretty confident someone like Jake Weatherald, who’s grown up in the Territory, is likely to feature up there, all things going well,” said Cricket Australia Chief of Cricket James Allsopp, as quoted by CODE Sports.
Room for both Cameron Green and Beau Webster?
Khawaja’s retirement has opened the door for both Cameron Green and Beau Webster to feature in the playing XI. The duo did play together in the SCG Ashes Test as Australia opted for a long batting lineup, but now they have the chance to let Green settle into a clear role.
With Travis Head likely to open, number five looks the best position for Green. The all-rounder has batted in numerous positions over the past 12 months (including at number three), contributing to a lack of runs and confidence. He is under pressure to deliver.
“But if you looked at the last team, let’s just take that,” said coach Andrew McDonald earlier this year as reported by CricBlog.
“Usman has retired, and he vacates the No. 5 position where he was opening, and he went to five to finish off. But you’ve got Webster and Green that potentially can play in the same team, should we see it that way, so that gives us incredible flexibility.”
Australia expected to back Marnus Labschagne
Like Green, the spotlight is on Marnus Labuschagne after a lean few years. Australia’s number three is without a Test hundred since the Manchester Ashes Test of 2023, but Australia will likely back him for the start of a busy period.
“We saw him finish off last summer the way that we wanted him to, in Sydney and the way he started that Ashes series in Perth. So if you look at the bookends of last summer for Marnus, in terms of Test cricket, it was excellent, and you look at the front-end of the summer domestically in red-ball cricket, it was more of what we’d like to see,” McDonald said last month.
“So there’s a very good player in amongst all of that. Our job is to work with him to bring out the best in his game, and we still think it’s there.”
Nathan Lyon confident of featuring, spotlight on Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood
Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood played one Test between them in the Ashes. Nathan Lyon suffered a serious hamstring injury during the Adelaide Test. Now, all three are tipped to feature against Bangladesh.
Cummins and Hazlewood returned to cricket during the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL). The Australian captain is on record saying he is aiming to play as many Tests as he can in Australia’s huge 12 months ahead.
“The lucky thing is I haven’t played much in the last year or so, so I’m actually coming in physically as good as I possibly could be,” Cummins said, as quoted by ABC News.
“I’m kind of hoping that I play all of them, but I’m sure things will pop up along the way. It’d be very surprising if the same three bowlers played in 21 of the Tests … there might be a little bit of chopping and changing. It’s kind of unprecedented.”
Nathan Lyon is also expected to play. He is tracking well after surgery and he still has the drive to succeed at Test level.
“I wouldn’t be doing all this work right now if I didn’t want to play every Test match. No one has a given right to be selected for Australia, so I know I need to make sure that I’m performing, doing all the right things. But I’m, hand on heart, set on playing every Test match I’m available for,” he said earlier this year, as reported by this publication.
“I was sitting there with my wife, and I literally said, ‘I’m not ready to give up this; I’m missing this right now.'”
