Australia on Wednesday opted for Josh Hazlewood ahead of fellow quick Scott Boland for the first Test against Bangladesh in Darwin, while veteran spinner Nathan Lyon returned after a long-term injury.
An injured Hazlewood missed the entire home Ashes series against England in 2025/26, with warhorse Boland playing all five Tests in his place.
But despite the 37-year-old’s heroics it was not enough to keep out a fit-again Hazlewood who was reunited for the first time in more than a year with long-time pace partners Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc.
“They’re both pretty class, aren’t they?” skipper Cummins told reporters of Hazlewood and Boland in naming Australia’s team.
“We were pretty certain we wanted ‘Lyono’ in the side, so (it came down to) working out what the make-up of the quicks were.
“It’s always a pretty tight call. It’s one of those ones where there’s not much you can say to Scotty other than obviously there’s a lot of cricket coming up.”
The Test starting today is the first of two against Bangladesh and kicks off a run of potentially 21 in 12 months for the world’s top-ranked side, who have not played a red-ball game since January.
Lyon returns after hamstring surgery curtailed his part in Australia’s dominant 4-1 home Ashes win, a series where a back issue restricted Cummins to just one Test.
Under-pressure Cameron Green held his spot and will come in at five with fellow all-rounder Beau Webster also in the side at seven, split by wicketkeeper Alex Carey.
Cummins has urged Cameron Green to go on the offensive against Bangladesh’s bowlers in the series as the under-pressure all-rounder looks to bat away doubts about his place in the team.
“We like it when he’s nice and busy and putting pressure back on the bowlers, he’s really intimidating,” Cummins sdaid.
“Same with when he’s bowling, having that presence.
“He’s quite an intimidating sight when he gets going. You see him in some T20 games, he’s beating the ball around.”
Green averaged 24.42 with the bat in the Ashes but is batting higher than fellow seam-bowling all-rounder Beau Webster, who has barely put a foot wrong in his eight Tests.
Some Australian cricket pundits have grown impatient with Green’s progress and questioned his place in the team, but Cummins said there was no pressure from his teammates.
“He’s almost got too many skills, so it’s like ‘just get out there, assert yourself, strip it away, there’s no pressure from us,’” said the skipper. “Just go, you’ve got freedom, get out of your own way and just go play.’”
Batting at number nine, Webster scored an unbeaten 71 at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the fifth Test against England and is averaging 41.09 with the bat.
Jake Weatherald will open the batting alongside Travis Head with Marnus Labuschagne at three and Steve Smith at four.
Josh Inglis was the other player from the initial squad not to make the XI. The clash at Marrara Oval will be only the third Test ever in tropical Darwin and the first since Sri Lanka visited in July 2004.
The series moves to Harrup Park in Mackay next week, which will host its maiden Test.
Australia: Jake Weatherald, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Beau Webster, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (capt), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
