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Defending champions of the World Test Championship (WTC), Australia, named their squad to face South Africa in the WTC finals next month at Lord's, as per a release from Cricket Australia.
Cameron Green's return to the Test squad after back surgery has been confirmed, with spinner Matt Kuhnemann also included, as Australia revealed their squad for their WTC defence and subsequent Caribbean tour on Tuesday. Sheffield Shield player of the final, Brendan Doggett, has been named a travelling reserve for the 15-player squad, which otherwise features no major surprises from outside the group that beat Sri Lanka 2-0 and India 3-1 last summer. Pat Cummins' side is seeking to become the first nation to win multiple WTC finals when it faces South Africa at Lord's from June 11. Cummins and Hazlewood have overcome injuries that kept them out of the Sri Lanka tour and the Champions Trophy earlier in the year, with both returning to action via the Indian Premier League. Australia won four of its six series to clinch a spot in its second straight WTC final. It also drew 2-2 with England in the 2023 Ashes and 1-1 with West Indies during the 2023-24 home summer. South Africa topped the standings with eight wins from 12 Tests for a points percentage of 69.44, while Australia's was 67.54 with 13 wins from 19 matches. "The team finished the WTC cycle with an impressive series victory in Sri Lanka following an equally strong summer in defeating India for the first time in a decade," selection chair George Bailey said. "Those series capped a consistent performance across the two-year cycle and now presents us with the incredibly exciting opportunity to defend the World Test Championship." "It means a lot to the group to reach the final, and they are very much looking forward to the challenge South Africa will present at Lord's," Bailey added. Selectors have opted for the same squad for three Tests in the Caribbean with Beau Webster retained as the preferred allrounder following a strong start to his Test career, while Sam Konstas is back in the mix after leaving Sri Lanka early to finish the domestic season with NSW. 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. (ANI)
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