Opening batter Jake Weatherald and pace bowler Brendan Doggett will make their Test debuts for Australia in the first Ashes Test against England in Perth on Friday.
'The body is holding together, and it's a great group to be a part of.'
Temba Bavuma, who led South Africa to their maiden ICC World Test Championship title and a historic 2-0 series sweep in India, also made the cut, while four Australian players were included.
Joe Root and Harry Brook hit half-centuries to put England in control before bad light ended play early on the opening day of the fifth Ashes Test.
Mitchell Starc made a late-career bid for all-rounder status when he scored a half-century and grabbed two wickets under the Gabba floodlights to push Australia to the brink of victory at the close of day three of the second Ashes Test.
Captain Pat Cummins and spinner Nathan Lyon have returned to the Australia XI for the third Ashes Test against England in Adelaide.
Cummins has been sidelined with a lumbar stress injury since Australia swept West Indies in the Caribbean in July.
Australia finished marginally on top at the end of a chaotic opening day of the fourth Ashes Test after an extraordinary 20 wickets fell in front of a record crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.
'I was playing country cricket and working as a carpenter, and that was the dream for me.'
Jacob Bethell scored his maiden Test century to lead an England rearguard action on the fourth day of the fifth Test on Wednesday but Australia still looked firmly set for victory.
Australia paceman Josh Hazlewood's hopes of playing in the third Ashes Test in Adelaide have dimmed after he suffered a new injury setback during his recovery from a hamstring strain.
Usman Khawaja picked as Australia announce squad for Sydney Test against England
Mitchell Starc, who picked up 26 wickets in four matches with an average of 17.42, has moved one rung up to share the second spot with Pakistan spinner Noman Ali.
'We know we're behind the game again, in the situation we currently stand.'
IMAGES from Day 5 of the 3rd Ashes Test in Adelaide on Sunday.
'They're those little moments as a squad that I think have got us across the line to four wins this series.'
Australia captain Pat Cummins will be ready to return from injury for the third Ashes Test against England in Adelaide.
Kevin Pietersen criticises England after their Ashes loss in Adelaide
t Pat Cummins' side firmly on top of the WTC standings, with a perfect record after six matches in the current cycle.
Expect nothing less than hostility, fire and close contests as Ben Stokes' England come armed with their Bazball philosophy to try and get the better of a depleted Australia.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 1st Ashes Test in Perth on Saturday.
Steve Smith returns to action in the Boxing Day Test against England as Australia opted to include four fast bowlers in their 12-man squad.
'It's a double-edged sword, but I'm enjoying it.'
England batter Joe Root defended fellow teammate Jamie Smith for his dismissal in the first innings of the final Sydney Test
Richardson has, so far, played three Test matches since making his debut in 2018-19. The pacer has picked up 11 wickets at an average of 22.09.
Australia pacer Michael Neser found day one of his maiden Boxing Day Test a dream come true.
Australia opener Usman Khawaja has been ruled out of the second Ashes Test against in England in Brisbane later this week by a back problem.
A wicket-laden Boxing Day Test at the MCG triggered widespread debate, with former cricketers from both Australia and England questioning whether the pitch offered far too much for the bowlers.
Spinner Todd Murphy has been called into the Australia squad in place of the injured Nathan Lyon for this week's fourth Ashes Test, while captain Pat Cummins will skip the rest of the series as his back issue is managed.
Regular captain Pat Cummins was named in the Australia squad on Wednesday for the third Ashes Test against England, a strong indication that the inspirational fast bowler will see his first action of the series in Adelaide next week.
Travis Head proved England's nemesis once again as he scored his second century of the Ashes to carry Australia toward a seemingly inevitable series triumph on day three at Adelaide Oval on Friday.
Joe Root contributed a magnificent 160 to England's first-innings tally of 384 but Travis Head drove Australia to 166 for two in response on the second day of the fifth and final Ashes Test.
'It's on track and pulling up pretty well. (I'm) half a chance for the next game.'
Scott Boland will step up and uncapped Brendan Doggett is tipped for a high-stakes debut to try to shore up the loss of a combined 604 Test wickets of experience.
Joe Root's Australian hoodoo is over. The England batter scored his first Test century in Australia, an unbeaten 135 off 202 balls, rescuing his side after a shaky start in the second Ashes Test at Brisbane's Gabba and steering England to 325 for nine following captain Ben Stokes' decision to bat first.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 1st Ashes Test played in Perth on Friday.
Australia captain Pat Cummins has eased back into bowling in his rehabilitation from a lower-back injury.
The hosts lost six wickets in the first session for 94 runs after resuming on four for no loss on Day 2 of the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne.
Konstas, 20, misses out after a poor tour with the bat in the West Indies, while Weatherald has been included after topping the Sheffield Shield runs list
With skipper Pat Cummins already out of the series opener because of a back injury, Australia are expected to send out Hazlewood with Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland as their pace attack.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances