Key points
- Captain Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are also back in squad
- Brendan Doggett is travelling reserve in squad
- Australia aims to defend World Test Championship title
ISLAMABAD: Cricket Australia announced its 15-player squad for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 final against South Africa, which is set to take place at Lord’s next month.
All-rounder Cameron Green has been named in the squad, marking his return to Test cricket after recovering from a back injury that has kept him side-lined since March 2024. He has also been included in the touring party for the subsequent Test series in the Caribbean, which was also revealed on 13 May.
Captain Pat Cummins and fast bowler Josh Hazlewood are also back in the squad after missing the 2025 Champions Trophy due to injuries. Both players made their returns to competitive cricket in the Indian Premier League (IPL), although Hazlewood missed the final match for Royal Challengers Bangalore due to a shoulder issue and was uncertain for the remainder of the league before it was suspended.
Reserve player
Brendan Doggett, named Player of the Match in the Sheffield Shield final, is the only travelling reserve in the squad.
The rest of the squad remains largely unchanged from the team that triumphed over Sri Lanka (2-0) and India (3-1) last summer.
Chair of selectors George Bailey expressed enthusiasm about the return of key players and reflected on the team’s recent successes: “We are fortunate and excited to have Pat (Cummins), Josh (Hazlewood), and Cam (Green) back in the squad. The team finished the WTC cycle with a strong series win in Sri Lanka, following an equally impressive summer where we defeated India for the first time in a decade.”
Challenging contest
“These victories capped a consistent performance throughout the two-year cycle, which now gives us the exciting opportunity to defend the World Test Championship. Reaching the final means a great deal to the group, and they are eagerly anticipating the challenge South Africa will present at Lord’s.”
Beau Webster keeps his place as an all-rounder after a promising start to his Test career. Meanwhile, Sam Konstas returns to the squad after leaving early during the Sri Lanka series to meet domestic commitments with New South Wales.
Left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann has been preferred over Todd Murphy, though Kuhnemann is more likely to feature in the three-Test series against the West Indies, starting on 25 June.
Australia aims to become the first team to successfully defend the World Test Championship title.
Australia’s Test Squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster.
