Travis Head has been reappointed as Australia's vice-captain for the upcoming Test series against Pakistan. Australia announced their starting XI for the opening match, scheduled to take place at the Optus Stadium in Perth, beginning on December 14.
Head, the standout performer for Australia in this year's World Test Championship Final and the ODI World Cup Final has been named co-vice-captain alongside Steve Smith. In the absence of Pat Cummins, Smith will assume the captaincy. Notably, Head previously served as the Test vice-captain when Tim Paine was the skipper.
Australia made a few alterations to their lineup for the first Test against Pakistan. Seasoned player Nathan Lyon made a return to the starting XI, taking the place of the promising youngster Todd Murphy.
In the batting order, David Warner, having declared that he will be participating in his last Test series, is set to open the batting alongside Usman Khawaja. Marnus Labuschagne is slated to bat at number three, followed by Smith at four. Head, Mitchell Marsh, and Alex Carey will complete Australia's batting lineup, with Carey continuing to handle wicketkeeping duties.
The trio of Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood, who recently helped Australia win their sixth ODI World Cup, will team up again. Lyon will join them as one of the main bowlers for Australia.
Australia's Test series against Pakistan will commence in Perth, followed by a match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 26 for the Boxing Day Test. The series will conclude with the final match at Warner's hometown in Sydney, hosted at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground starting on January 3, 2024.
Australia's starting XI for 1st Test
David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
Pakistan's starting XI for 1st Test
Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Aamir Jamal, Khurram Shahzad
(Powered by AI, Inputs by India Today)
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