Australia on Sunday announced the 14-man squad for the first Test match of the three-match home series against Pakistan which will be led by World Cup 2023 winning skipper Pat Cummins.
The first match of the series will take place on December 14 to 18 at the Perth Stadium.
Australian opener David Warner, who said that he would bring down a curtain on his 12-year career in the longest format, is included in the squad for the first Test alongside Usman Khawaja.
Other players included in the team are Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Greene, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Marsh.
Lance Morris, Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc were also included in the 14-member squad for the first Test.
Australian chief selector George Bailey said there were still opportunities for others to play themselves into contention for the Tests against Pakistan in Melbourne and Sydney, as well as the two-match series against West Indies that follows.
“We look forward to seeing the continued strong performances from players who have been performing domestically, many of whom will get a tremendous opportunity in the Prime Minister’s XI fixture against Pakistan later this week,” he said in a statement.
Pakistan, who have not won a match in Australia in nearly three decades, are currently preparing for the series.
Australia squad: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (captain), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Cameron Green, Lance Morris
Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi
Australia tour schedule:
Four-day match: PM’s XI vs Pakistan – December 6-9: Manuka Oval, Canberra
1st Test – Australia vs Pakistan – December 14-18: Perth Stadium
2nd Test – Australia vs Pakistan – December 26-30: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
3rd Test – Australia vs Pakistan – January 3-7: Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG)
