Last Updated on 6 months ago by Charbel Coorey
Australia have named their squad for the first Test of the 2025/26 Ashes series. Marnus Labuschagne returns after he was dropped before the West Indies Tests earlier this year. Labuschagne has been rewarded for his excellent form for Queensland across the Sheffield Shield and Australian One Day Cup.
Sam Konstas has not been included. The incumbent opener had a tough tour of the Caribbean, managing just 50 runs at 8.33 in the three Tests. He also has had a slow start to the Sheffield Shield season.
Australia 15-man squad for 1st Ashes Test in Perth
Squad: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster.
Steve Smith will captain in Pat Cummins’ absence. Brendan Doggett and Sean Abbott have been selected as the backup fast bowlers in the squad, while opener Jake Weatherald has also been picked.
“The squad gives us good balance and, with 14 of those chosen playing the next round of Sheffield Shield, we will continue to gather information as we move closer to the start of the first Test,” Bailey said in a statement, as quoted by cricket.com.au.
Weatherald could make his Test debut. However, this depends on Cameron Green’s bowling capacity. If Green, who has bowled just four overs in competitive cricket this season, does get more overs under his belt, he could move to number six. This would then mean Beau Webster misses out.
Elsewhere, Doggett has been rewarded once again for his consistent Sheffield Shield form. Doggett, who took an 11-wicket haul in last season’s final, made a successful return from a hamstring injury by taking 6/48 against Western Australia.
“It was obviously my first hit-out of the season with the red ball, I guess the timing was perfect to take a six-for,” Doggett told reporters on Tuesday.
“I have been waiting for this for a long time so I feel like if I do get a call to join that squad, I’ll be ready. We’ll see what happens.”
