Australia lock in playing XI for first Ashes Test in Perth
Two debutants confirmed for Australia, as Marnus Labuschagne earns a recall and Beau Webster is dropped for the first Test against England.
Stand-in Australia captain Steve Smith has confirmed the XI his side will use for the opening Ashes Test against England in Perth.
The Aussies will unveil two debutants for the eagerly-awaited ICC World Test Championship contest, with opener Jake Weatherald and pacer Brendan Doggett both named in the XI as predicted by Australian great Ricky Ponting on The ICC Review earlier this week.
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It means all-rounder Beau Webster drops out of the XI despite some good performances in recent times, with Marnus Labuschagne earning a recall near the top of the batting order at No.3 and Cameron Green also included in the top six.
Labuschagne returns to the XI after he was dropped from the side following the World Test Championship Final against South Africa in June, with the right-hander having missed out on the three-match tour of the Caribbean against the West Indies that followed.
The former No.1 ranked Test batter has since contributed bulk runs at domestic level in Australia and Smith said it has proven enough to win a recall.
"Marnus, when he's batting at his best at No.3, he makes us a very good cricket side," Smith said on Thursday.
"We couldn't really leave him out after he came back and did exactly what was told of him.
"The way he's batted in Shield and one-day cricket for Queensland in the last couple of weeks has been amazing, so when he's batting well, he's tough to leave out and hopefully he can bring that to the Test arena now.
"For Beau, he's the one that misses out unfortunately. He came into international cricket and lit it up immediately – it's a really tough one on him."
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Doggett will partner experienced quicks Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland in the pace department, while veteran right-armer Nathan Lyon will be the main spinner.
Regular pacers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood miss out, with Smith confident Doggett can fill the void on debut.
"Injuries happen in sport, particularly in cricket with fast bowlers, they put a lot of stress through their bodies," Smith noted.
"Unfortunate that those two are out. But an exciting opportunity for Scotty (Boland) and for Brendan Doggett to make his debut.
"Brendan's been on a few tours with Australia. He is very skilful. I think he's improved a hell of a lot the last few years and I'm excited to see him go about his business."
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It is just the first time since 2019 that Australia have named two debutants in the same Test side and you have to go way back to 2011 to find the last Ashes Test the Aussies did so.
Australia XI: Jake Weatherald, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Brendan Doggett, Scott Boland
