Australian team for Brisbane Ashes Test: Experts name their XIs
As Australia’s selectors weigh up whether to dump Usman Khawaja and Nathan Lyon for the second Test, our experts have revealed the teams they would take in. Pick yours here.
Rarely has there been so much contention about a line-up after a commanding win.
But Travis Head’s brilliant century in Perth after being thurst to the top of the order has left Usman Khawaja vulnerable as Australia’s selectors plan for the second Test.
There’s also the chance Nathan Lyon is left out, as he was during the West Indies tour when Scott Boland came in and took a hat-trick.
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Beau Webster looms as the most likely inclusion after being squeezed out of the first Test team, although Josh Inglis mounted a strong case with a century against the England Lions.
There’s also the chance Khawaja survives but is sent in at No.5.
See what our experts think should happen and choose your own XI below.
DANIEL CHERNY
Travis Head
Jake Weatherald
Marnus Labuschagne
Steve Smith
Cameron Green
Josh Inglis
Alex Carey
Beau Webster
Mitchell Starc
Scott Boland
Brendan Doggett
The decision to leave out 225 Tests’ worth of experience in the form of Nathan Lyon and Usman Khawaja is not to be taken lightly, but if Australia is going to be ruthless then this is the side selectors should pick. Khawaja will have to prove his fitness in any case but England is hardly going to move away from its full-bore pace approach, the type of bowling that has proven his undoing regularly over almost two years. In Head they have a willing and now proven option at the top of the order, allowing the in-form Inglis to come back into the side. The Lyon call is trickier but it is hard to envisage him playing any more than a peripheral role given the conditions and England’s approach. Recalling Webster lengthens Australia’s batting, provides versatility with the ball and an improvement in the field. Pat Cummins should be given an extra fortnight given Australia has breathing space in the series.
ROBERT CRADDOCK
Usman Khawaja
Jake Weatherald
Marnus Labuschagne
Steve Smith
Travis Head
Cameron Green
Alex Carey
Mitchell Starc
Nathan Lyon
Brendan Doggett
Scott Boland
I would keep Khawaja as this is his home ground and things could get a bit tricky under lights. For all of Head’s brilliance as an opener he will be better down the order in Brisbane. Nathan Lyon makes my team - just. He’s got a good pink ball record and goes well at the Gabba. But if England keep getting bowled out in the time it takes to play nine holes of golf there isn’t much point playing a spinner.
BEN HORNE
Travis Head
Jake Weatherald
Marnus Labuschagne
Steve Smith
Usman Khawaja
Cameron Green
Alex Carey
Mitchell Starc
Nathan Lyon
Scott Boland
Brendan Doggett
If Usman Khawaja is fit I would give him one last chance, but I’d be swapping him with Travis Head in the order. I don’t think the Australians can go back on the aggressive approach which won them the first Test. That doesn’t necessarily mean Head is a long-term opener, but for this series, against Bazball, I think it would be a mistake not to leave him at the top. It might sound like a cop out for selectors, but I don’t mind Khawaja in the middle-order for a pink ball Test because often you can have wickets fall under lights and Khawaja’s ability to absorb pressure could be a factor. If Khawaja fails to make runs in Brisbane, I think Adelaide would be the right time to usher in some new blood — either Josh Inglis, Matt Renshaw or Beau Webster. If the pitch is super spicy and green I’d think about Beau Webster over Nathan Lyon, but Lyon’s excellent record in pink ball Tests and at the Gabba just gets him over the line for mine.
MICHAEL CLARKE
Usman Khawaja
Jake Weatherald
Marnus Labuschagne
Steve Smith
Travis Head
Cameron Green
Alex Carey
Mitchell Starc
Nathan Lyon
Scott Boland
Brendan Doggett
I think Khawaja stays at the top of the order for the second Test. I don’t think the Aussies will make any changes. I think they will stick with the same XI assuming Cummins and Hazlewood are still not fit.
TIM MICHELL
Travis Head
Jake Weatherald
Marnus Labuschagne
Steve Smith
Josh Inglis
Cameron Green
Alex Carey
Michael Neser
Mitchell Starc
Brendan Doggett/Pat Cummins
Scott Boland
Australia bowled 78 overs in the pink-ball Test against India last year and Nathan Lyon delivered one of them. Lyon had some success against the West Indies with the pink ball the previous year, but the likelihood is big overs of spin won’t be needed in a pink ball Test where England might struggle to bat 50 overs. Michael Neser was in the squad for the first Test and has the home conditions at the Gabba in his favour. The selectors could go with Beau Webster as a spin bowling option who can bat, but Neser’s ability to swing the ball under lights should earn him a third Test of his career. Leaving Webster out again would be harsh, but Inglis just blasted a century against the England Lions and provides the same dynamism Travis Head has at No.5. Picking Neser would allow Pat Cummins to ease back without a significant workload too and to be unleashed in short bursts.
LACHLAN MCKIRDY
Jake Weatherald
Travis Head
Marnus Labuschagne
Steve Smith
Cameron Green
Beau Webster
Alex Carey
Michael Neser
Mitchell Starc
Nathan Lyon
Scott Boland
Travis Head’s starring turn in Perth is too good to ignore, with his ability to take on England’s pace bowlers early the perfect counter-attacking weapon for the Aussies at the top of the order. That means Usman Khawaja drops out for the Gabba Test, and particularly with the pink ball, Head presents as a safer option based on current form. That move also allows the Aussies to bring in another specialist batter, and while Josh Inglis is in form, Beau Webster deserves first crack because of what he’s done at international level so far. The one other change would be Michael Neser in for Brendan Doggett. Doggett did absolutely nothing wrong in Perth, and could still play, but Neser is a master with the pink ball, as we saw in the last Ashes here in 2021, and will lengthen the batting order slightly with his all-round capabilities. Even if Pat Cummins is available for selection, the Aussies should err on the side of caution with a 1-0 lead in the series.
Originally published as Australian team for Brisbane Ashes Test: Experts name their XIs
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