Australia have named an unchanged 14-man squad for the upcoming pink ball Test in Brisbane starting on December 4th. This means regular captain Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood miss this Test as well as they are yet to obtain full fitness ahead of the second Test match. Both the bowlers were in Sydney through the course of the week but have not been declared fit to play in the Test as Australia are erring on the side of caution and does not want to rush them back in. Steve Smith will continue to lead Australia and has an unbeaten record against England.
Regular captain Pat Cummins will continue to travel with the side and be there in Brisbane during the Test match to continue his preparations. He will cheer his team and motivate them and be involved in tactical decisions off the field with the team management and all. It’s not bad to err in the side of caution as Australia are 1-0 up and with the side they have at disposal could still go 2-0 up with 3 matches to play.
Usman Khawaja retains his place despite back spasms; Beau Webster pushing hard to take the Number 6 spot
Usman Khawaja has managed to retain his place in the squad despite his back strain and spasms and scored only two runs in the first and only innings he batted in Perth. He did not bat in the second innings after suffering an awkward fall while trying to take the catch and aggravated the injury. This meant that Travis Head was promoted up the order and he scored a masterful breath-taking 123 off 83 balls as the hosts chased down 205 in a single session on Day 2.
However, it remains to be seen if Australia would drop Khawaja and promote Head to the top of the order and include all-rounder Beau Webster at Number 6 as Webster is proving his case by pushing the other players to perform hard. Australia have a 1-0 lead in the five-match series with four Tests left to play. The squad will assemble in Brisbane on Sunday November 30th.
Australia’s 14-man squad for Brisbane Pink-Ball Test; no Pat Cummins & Josh Hazlewood
Here is the Australian squad for the 2nd Test at Brisbane:
Steve Smith (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon. Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster.
Australia confident of going 2-0 up in 5-match series
Australia will be confident of going 2-0 up in this 5-match series with this current squad in the absence of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. And as evidence would suggest, there should be no reason why they won’t go 2-0 up. If Australia play to their best and this being Pink-Ball game, England will have their work cut out. The bowling has enough ammunition to skittle the opposition out who are adamant they will play the same way.
If England come out with similar approach, they could find themselves in deep trouble. Australia knows how to play pink ball games and they are the masters of it although the solitary loss came at the Gabba Brisbane against West Indies. Australia have question marks regarding Khawaja’s fitness and form and whether there will be a change there. But apart from that all is good for them.
It will be England who will have to do all the running and it won’t be easy for the visitors to fight back in Pink Ball Test a fixture England much like other teams hardly plays in international cricket. Australia have beaten England in 3 out of 3 games all three in Australia.
The stage is set for the second Test to begin on December 4th and it remains to be seen whether England fights back to draw level or will Australia go 2-0 up and go one step closer to retaining the Ashes. Only time will tell where this match and series will head from here.
Also Read: Ashes 2025-26: Travis Head’s Gigantic Ton Floors England