Australia head coach Justin Langer hinted that they will go with tried and tested players when India arrive for a four-Test series at the end of the year unless an exceptional performer emerges from the Sheffield Shield.
Babar was also one of the few bright spots from Pakistan's previous tour to Australia in 2019-2020, where he scored 97 and 101.
Nathan Lyon has offered his services to Australia for the ongoing World Cup in India, declaring he has recovered from a calf injury and is available for selection if required.
New South Wales paceman Abbott and Queensland veteran Neser are the reserve quicks behind regulars Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and James Pattinson.
Fined for dissent in Sheffield Shield match
Australia opener Marcus Harris was dropped from the Test squad and replaced by Queensland batsman Joe Burns for the upcoming two-match series against Pakistan.
Very few young Australian cricketers have generated as much buzz in recent years as the 22-year-old, thanks to his prolific form in Sheffield Shield.
ICC Hall of Famer and former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting feels that batter Cameron Bancroft is leading the race to succeed David Warner and Usman Khawaja at the top of Australia's Test batting.
Fast-rising Australian batsman Will Pucovski feels he has "earned the right" to be in the red-ball squad for the series against India and is better prepared to make his Test debut compared to a couple of seasons ago.
Returning after a long injury lay-off, Glenn Maxwell hammered a sizzling half-century and make a strong case for his selection for the upcoming India ODI series.
For the India tour, Zampa will be fighting for a spot with veteran offspinner Nathan Lyon.
The 27-year-old Agar had featured in both the limited over formats for Australia last summer but missed his spot in the ODIs on their tour of England in September.
Australia, without a number of key players who skipped the tour, were thrashed 4-1 in the T20 series by the Caribbeans.
Australia has a mandatory 14-day quarantine for international arrivals to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Carey said selectors had not spoken to him about playing beyond the first two Tests.
With a massive 1,608 runs in the WTC 2021-2023 cycle, Khawaja was the major reason Australia qualified for the WTC final.
Australian bowler Sean Abbott, who bowled the bouncer that led to the death of Phillip Hughes, is set to return to action.
Western Australia batsmen Shaun Marsh and Marcus Stoinis sustained several blows to the body struggling to adjust to the unpredictable bounce of the surface in the contest against Victoria.
Khawaja to battle Head for openers' spot as Australia name squad for first two Tests.
Australia's selectors sprung a major surprise on Friday by naming uncapped fast bowler Joe Mennie in a 12-man squad for the first two matches of a three-test series against South Africa beginning in Perth next week. Mennie was part of an inexperienced bowling attack that was humbled by the Proteas batsmen in the recent one-day series in South Africa, which the hosts won 5-0. Despite accumulating figures of 0-82 on debut, the 27-year-old was preferred to Jackson Bird, who toured New Zealand and Sri Lanka as part of the Australian test squad.
Cricket Australia has confirmed it will use Dukes balls, which are used in England, instead of the locally produced Kookaburra brand for the second half of the domestic Sheffield Shield in a bid to better prepare for the away Ashes series next year. The balls behave differently through the air and off the pitch, with Australia's inability to play the moving ball seen as one of the reasons why they have failed to win an Ashes series in England since 2001.
Mitchell Starc claimed his second hat-trick of the match to lead New South Wales to a 171-run victory over Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield on Tuesday.
Australia's rising star Will Pucovski has deactivated his social media accounts to stay away from the hype and intense speculation over his selection in the playing XI for the Test series opener against India next month.
Batsmen Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb and all-rounder Mitchell Marsh were all dropped from the squad that lost a home Test series against India for the first time.
Australia pace bowler Sean Abbott has been ruled out of the first Test against India starting in Adelaide on Thursday due to a calf injury while all-rounder Moises Henriques has been added to the side.
Australia pacer Lance Morris, the leading wicket-taker in the Australian Sheffield Shield this season, believes he has the 'best chance' to make his debut in the opening Test against India.
The Barmy Army, also paid homage to the late left-hander by chanting "There's only one Phillip Hughes" to the tune of 'Winter Wonderland' during the opening session of the fifth day of the match.
The unavailability of a suitable ball remains the only obstacle in Cricket Australia's grand plan to hold a night Test and in a bid to overcome the hurdle, CA will trial fluorescent balls in the domestic Sheffield Shield matches. CA chief executive James Sutherland said the success or failure of the trial will determine how the Cricket Board proceeds with its plans of breaking away from tradition to hold night Tests.
'We do the necessary checks (and) Will's good to go, so we're hopeful that he'll be fine all the way through.'
Will Pucovski is to have surgery on his right shoulder and is likely to be sidelined for up to six months
Australia selector Mark Waugh refreshingly candid departure from sport media-speak when he let slip that Cricket Australia wanted their Test team selected early for 'marketing reasons' has been swiftly rebuffed by the governing body on Friday.
Mitchell Swepson - in just his second ever T20I - took the big wicket of Virat Kohli
"My natural length is a bit back from a good length. So because of my height, I trouble all kinds of batters. When Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli praise you, what more do you need? Rohit bhai said, best of luck for your future," Irfan said.
Former captains, including Ian Chappell and Michael Clarke, have called for the inclusion of young opener Will Pucovski in Australia's team for the upcoming four-Test series against India.
Promising batsman Will Pucovski ruled himself out of selection for Australia's Test series against Pakistan due to "matters pertaining to mental wellbeing", Cricket Australia said on Thursday.
Australia will trial a modified pink ball featuring a black seam in the domestic Sheffield Shield competition next week after complaints from players about visibility issues during the inaugural day-night Test last November.
Australian captain Steve Smith was, on Saturday, ruled out of the Twenty20 series against India due to a shoulder injury, a massive setback for the already struggling visitors.
Australia have decided to put captain Michael Clarke under wraps with fast bowlers Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle ahead of next week's Ashes opener, withdrawing the trio from domestic fixtures to prepare for the test in Brisbane.
'Me and Todd (Murphy) were in the MRF tour in Chennai probably six months ago and that left me in good stead to go well in these games.'
Domestic giants Mumbai on Thursday broke the world record for highest margin of victory in the history of first-class cricket as they crushed minnows Uttarakhand by a staggering 725 runs on the fourth day of their Ranji Trophy quarter-final.
