Australia have left pace bowler James Pattinson out of their 12-man squad for the second Ashes Test against England, with Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood vying for recalls.
Pattinson was part of the team that won by 251 runs at Edgbaston, taking two wickets in his first Test in three years. But the 29-year-old will sit out at Lord’s, leaving Starc and Hazlewood to push their cases.
Australia made no changes to their batting order which put England to the sword. Openers David Warner and Cameron Bancroft missed out in both innings but former captain Steve Smith made a superb return to red-ball cricket, scoring centuries in both innings. Matthew Wade also scored a century and Travis Head also stitched a handy knock in the second essay.
Pacer Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon picked up all ten wickets between them in the second innings while Peter Siddle, despite not getting too many in the wickets column, bowled with a plenty of heart. England and Australia faced off at Lord’s in the World Cup in the group stages. Starc played a crucial part in the Aussies winning the match.
Squad
Tim Paine (c & wk), David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Matthew Wade, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
More to follow....