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Australian selectors weigh all-rounders for 21-Test schedule
Selectors will name a squad on Tuesday for two Tests against Bangladesh. Cameron Green and Beau Webster are expected to fill middle-order roles as the team manages an older bowling group.
Jul 20, 4:08 AM·1m read1 source
The Sydney Morning HeraldAudio version
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Australian selectors are set to name a 13- or 14-player squad on Tuesday for two Tests against Bangladesh in Darwin and Mackay in August. The matches open a 12-month stretch of 21 Tests that will test the depth of the bowling attack.
Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland and captain Pat Cummins are all over 33, while Nathan Lyon is returning from a hamstring injury. The schedule includes series against South Africa, New Zealand, India and England, plus a possible World Test Championship final.
Cameron Green, who turned 27 last month, is expected to bat at number five. Beau Webster, 32, is likely to bat at number seven after Alex Carey. Jake Weatherald is expected to open with Travis Head.
Rana, 23, suffered a side strain in a recent T20 series in Zimbabwe and is expected to need at least three weeks to recover. Scans are still pending, and he may lack match fitness for the first Test on August 13. In the second ODI in June, Rana took 4 for 41.
Bangladesh’s most recent Test ended in a three-day innings defeat to Zimbabwe. Lyon said in Darwin earlier this month that he is fit and confident of selection. Matt Renshaw, Josh Inglis, Michael Neser and Brendan Doggett remain outside the current group.
