MELBOURNE: Cricket Australia (CA) on Friday announced a 15-member squad for the remaining two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) against India, excluding emerging opener Nathan McSweeney and experienced pacer Josh Hazlewood.
Sweeney, who played in all three Tests against India, did not capitalize on the opportunity as the right-handed opener could only score 72 runs at a dismal average of 14.40 and the highest score of just 39.
Hazelwood, on the other hand, will miss the remainder of the series as he has struggled with physical issues.
As a result, Australia called up 19-year-old Sam Konstas for the first time for the Test, rewarding the top-order batsman for his twin centuries in the Sheffield Shield.
Meanwhile, pacer Jhye Richardson was also recalled to Australia’s Test squad for the first time in three years as cover for the injured Hazlewood.
Chief selector George Bailey was pleased with Richardson’s ‘successful return’ before expressing his confidence in McSweeney’s abilities despite a forgetful start to the opener’s Test career.
“In the absence of Josh Hazlewood, Jhye offers more options in fast bowling. It was pleasing to see his successful return during the start of the domestic summer,” Bailey said.
“We remain confident that Nathan (McSweeney) has the ability and temperament to succeed at Test level in the future. It was a difficult decision to leave him out.
“It has clearly been a challenge for the batsmen throughout the series and we want to offer the option of a different line-up for the next two matches.”
The Boxing Day Test between India and Australia is scheduled to begin on December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Australian squad for the fourth and fifth Test against India:
Pat Cummins (c), Travis Head, Steve Smith, Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster.
Sohail Imran is a senior reporter at Geo News.
