Istafa Ali
Pat Cummins, Australia’s captain, picked the playing XI for the first Test match of the series against Pakistan on Wednesday. Travis Heas was named vice captain again.
The first game of the three-game Benaud-Qadir Trophy is being played in Perth between these two teams.
The team that Aussie captain Cummins named for the men’s international summer season didn’t come as a surprise. However, Smith will still be the first choice to lead the team when Cummins isn’t available.
One player has been added to the team since the last time they played, in the Ashes final in August at The Oval. Nathan Lyon, who is healthy again, has replaced Todd Murphy.
The big three fast bowlers—Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood—will get back together. They just won the World Cup last month with Australia.
David Warner will hit first. The veteran had a lot of trouble getting ready for this game because of where he fits in the team.
If picked, the 37-year-old will hang up his boots after the last game of this series in Sydney.
The 32-year-old Mitch Marsh will play in front of his home crowd and in a Test at Perth Stadium for the first time. He is still the preferred all-rounder over Cameron Green, who was his state partner during the Ashes.
Travis Head was a vice-captain of the Test team when Tim Paine was in charge.
The Australia team: (only for the first Test) This is the team that will bat first: Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Lance Morris, Steve Smith, Mitch Starc, and David Warner.
Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr., Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, and Shaheen Shah Afridi are the players who play for Pakistan. Shan Masood is the captain.
