Marnus Labuschagne returns for first Ashes Test but Sam Konstas misses out in Steve Smith-led 15-man squad

Meanwhile, Sam Konstas, who made an impressive debut during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, missed out on the 15-member squad after a poor show in the West Indies Test earlier this year with a string of low scores - 3, 5, 25, 0, 17 and 0. Australia's white-ball skipper Mitchell Marsh and Matthew Renshaw also missed out on the squad, while uncapped Jake Weatherald and Brendan Doggett got call-ups.

Australia’s chief selector George Bailey expressed confidence in the balance of the squad named for the Ashes opener, highlighting that most players will stay match-ready through the Sheffield Shield ahead of the first Test.

"The squad gives us good balance and, with 14 of those chosen playing the next round of Sheffield Shield, we will continue to gather information as we move closer to the start of the first Test," Bailey said.

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Bailey further showed support for young batter Konstas while addressing his absence from the squad.. The chief selector urged him to keep things simple, focus on scoring runs, and continue developing his game with New South Wales.

"I feel for Sammy. There’s a handful of young guys his age playing Shield cricket around the country, and they’re all learning, they’re all going through a journey of becoming the best cricketer they can be, and Sammy’s no different at that. We really like him. We like the skill set there. But the message is just to keep it simple and score runs and bat for as long as you can for New South Wales," he added.

Meanwhile, in Cummins' absence, Scott Boland is expected to join Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood in the pace attack, with uncapped Brendan Doggett and Sean Abbott also in the squad as fast bowling options.

Australia squad for first Ashes Test

Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster

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