Perth: Jake Weatherald and Brendan Doggett will debut for Australia in the first Ashes Test in Perth.
Australia’s players were informed of the team ahead of their final training session on Thursday, according to two sources with knowledge of discussions.
Tasmania’s Jake Weatherald will debut for Australia.Credit: Getty Images
Weatherald’s selection will mean Marnus Labuschagne bats at No.3 on his return to the Test team, while Cameron Green is expected to edge out Beau Webster as the all-rounder.
Steve Smith will confirm the XI later on Thursday.
Australia’s selectors needed to be assured of Green’s fitness to be the sole all-rounder a year on from his back surgery, but once that had been underlined by his sharp pace in a recent Sheffield Shield game the balance of the side started to fall into place.
While Webster is unfortunate to miss out following solid contributions in all of his six Tests so far, he has always been considered a role player behind the longer-term investment in Green. Last summer Webster entered the squad as a back-up for Mitchell Marsh, before replacing him in Sydney.
Weatherald has been chosen as the ideal complement to Usman Khawaja’s more sedate style at the top, while Labuschagne will be most comfortable at three and captain Smith at four.
Doggett, who has been the outstanding bowler in domestic cricket over the past couple of years, bowls at high pace and can swing the ball, in addition to bowling a testing bouncer.
