Australia has named their squad to take on South Africa in the WTC finals next month at Lord’s. Cricket Australia announced that Cameron Green is back in the Test lineup after having back surgery, and spinner Matt Kuhnemann is also included. The squad for defending the WTC title and the Caribbean tour was revealed on Tuesday. Brendan Doggett, who was the Sheffield Shield player of the final, will be a traveling reserve in the 15-player squad, which doesn’t have any major surprises apart from the team that recently defeated Sri Lanka and India.
Pat Cummins’ team is aiming to be the first to win multiple WTC finals when they meet South Africa at Lord’s starting June 11. Both Cummins and Hazlewood have bounced back from injuries that sidelined them during the Sri Lanka tour and Champions Trophy earlier this year, returning to play through the Indian Premier League. Australia secured a spot in its second consecutive WTC final after winning four out of six series. They also drew 2-2 with England in the 2023 Ashes and had a 1-1 draw with the West Indies at home during the 2023-24 summer.
South Africa led the standings with eight wins out of 12 Tests and a points percentage of 69.44, while Australia followed closely with 67.54 from 13 wins out of 19 matches. Selection chair George Bailey noted that the team finished the WTC cycle strongly, with a notable series win in Sri Lanka and defeating India for the first time in ten years. He mentioned, “It means a lot to the group to reach the final, and they are really looking forward to facing the challenge from South Africa at Lord’s.”
The selectors have kept the same squad for the three Tests in the Caribbean. Beau Webster will continue as the preferred allrounder after a solid start to his Test career, and Sam Konstas is back in the mix after returning from Sri Lanka to finish the domestic season with New South Wales.
Australia squad for WTC final: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster. Travelling reserve: Brendan Doggett
