PERTH: Pat Cummins, the captain of Australia, has confirmed the lineup for his team's opening Test match against the West Indies.
The starting XI for the first Australian summer home Test features no significant surprises, with Cummins revealing one alteration from the squad that competed in the most recent Test match in Sri Lanka.
After Australia's demoralising loss to Sri Lanka in Galle in July, veteran seamer Josh Hazlewood is back in the lineup, replacing backup spinner Mitchell Swepson.
In that game, Swepson recorded stats of 3/103, however, the 29-year-old was not included in the squad for the West Indies series because Australia went back to their normal lineup of three seamers and one spinner.
Veteran batsmen David Warner and Usman Khawaja continue to bat first for Australia, but left-hander Marcus Harris isn't chosen despite being recalled to the team for the series.
The series against the West Indies is critical for Australia's hopes of qualifying for next year's World Test Championship final, with Cummins' side currently sitting on top of the standings ahead of a busy upcoming schedule.
After the West Indies series, Australia will host South Africa for three Test matches at home towards the end of the year before embarking on India for a four-test series that might determine their World Test Championship fates.
David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon make up Australia's starting XI against the West Indies.
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