Marnus Labuschagne returns to Australia’s Ashes squad after missing West Indies series

GOLD COAST, Australia (AP) – Marnus Labuschagne is back in Australia’s squad to start the Ashes series, with selectors including the veteran batter Wednesday in a 15-man group for the first cricket test against England.

Labuschagne missed Australia’s three-test series win over the West Indies in the Caribbean in July after a lean run of form but has regained confidence with some big scores in first-class cricket. The 58-test veteran hasn’t scored a test century since the 2023 Ashes in England.

Opening batter Jake Weatherald could make his debut in the Nov. 21-25 match in Perth after being selected ahead of Matt Renshaw and 20-year-old Sam Konstas, although that depends on who is chosen to open with Usman Khawaja.

The 31-year-old Weatherald was the leading scorer in the Sheffield Shield tournament last summer with 906 runs at an average of 50.33.

Steve Smith will lead the Australian lineup in the series-opener in the absence of regular skipper Pat Cummins, who is still recovering from a lower back problem.

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.

Allrounders Beau Webster and Cameron Green have also both been included in the squad.

The Australian players have either been involved in first-class cricket with their states to prepare for the Ashes or playing against India in a series of one-day internationals and Twenty20 internationals.

Green’s condition and ability to bowl spells as part of a pace attack will be one of the things selectors will be monitoring in next week’s round of the domestic first-class competition.

“We’ve got 14 out of our 15-man squad playing a round of the Sheffield Shield, still some information to gather from that – Cameron Green returning to the bowling crease being one of them,” selector George Bailey said Wednesday. “We’ll get through these 14 guys playing, get the information and then work on the XI.”

Bailey said selectors would like to see Green, who at 26 is considerably younger than the rest of the bowling group, bowl between 15 and 20 overs for West Australia against Queensland in Perth to assess his recovery from side soreness.

“That’s pretty close to what you need from your allrounder,” Bailey said. “We’re still 2 1/2 weeks from that first test, so we will build up from there.”

The squad was announced after Australian cricket great Stephen Waugh suggested selectors would soon need to make some tough calls to manage the impact of player retirements. Most of the players in the test squad are in their 30s.

“George Bailey’s going to have to make some tough calls,” Waugh said during an Ashes function in Sydney this week. “I think in the past he’s shown he hasn’t really had the appetite for that at times. So he’s going to have to step up to the plate with the other selectors. Because it is a time of transition.”

Waugh retired in 2004 at the age of 38 after a draw against India in Sydney, finishing with 10,927 runs at an average of 51.06 in 168 tests dating back to 1985, which was also a time on transition for Australia’s test team.

“You just want to make sure that three or four players don’t go out at the same time,” Waugh said. “That leaves a big hole in the team.”

The England squad for the five-test series will be led by 34-year-old Ben Stokes.

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Squad:

Steve Smith (captain), 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.