Australia named a 15-man squad on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, for the first Ashes Test against England, starting 21 November at Optus Stadium in Perth — and the selectors delivered the biggest talking points of the summer.
Uncapped Tasmania opener Jake Weatherald, 31, was the big surprise inclusion. He topped the Sheffield Shield run charts last season with 906 runs in 18 innings for Tasmania at an average of 50.33, and has three half-centuries this spring.
Young opener Sam Konstas, 20, was dropped after a poor West Indies tour in which he scored just 50 runs in six innings — 3, 5, 25, 0, 17 and 0 — including two ducks, at an average of 8.33.
Marnus Labuschagne, 31, was recalled after being dropped for the West Indies tour, on the back of five centuries in his last eight first-class and List-A innings for Queensland.
Steve Smith will captain the side in the first Test because regular captain Pat Cummins is still out with a lower back injury picked up against the West Indies more than three months ago. Cummins is tentatively targeting a return for the day-night second Test in Brisbane from 4 December.
Only one player in the squad — Cameron Green, 26 — is under 30, underlining the age of the side. Matthew Renshaw and Mitchell Marsh were the other notable omissions.
The full squad is: 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 and Beau Webster. Chief selector George Bailey refused to confirm whether Weatherald will debut in Perth.
The Ashes is the biggest series in Australian cricket, and the squad announcement has set up weeks of debate. Weatherald’s call-up rewards years of domestic runs; Konstas’s omission is a reminder of how quickly fortunes change at the top level.
Australian news has been dominated by big names this week, from the death of F1 champion Alan Jones to the David Jones administration putting 6,000 jobs at risk. The Ashes squad is the next chapter.
Bhudev Bhagaliya is an experienced and senior journalist who has carved a distinct niche for himself in the world of Hindi journalism through his profound understanding and precise writing style. With over two decades of experience in the field of journalism, he has held key responsibilities at Dainik Hindustan for 12 years and at Amar Ujala for one year. Currently, he serves as the Content Editor for the Jagrook Youth News newspaper and portal, where he plays a crucial role in ensuring the quality and credibility of the news content. Bhudev Bhagaliya consistently writes about issues that help raise awareness within society and among the younger generation.