Green, Konstas in as Australia name WTC final, Caribbean squad

Cameron Green's return to the Test squad after back surgery has been confirmed with spinner Matt Kuhnemann also included as Australia today revealed their squad for their World Test Championship defence and subsequent Caribbean tour.

Sheffield Shield player of the final Brendan Doggett has been named as a travelling reserve for the 15-player squad that otherwise features no major surprises from outside the group that beat Sri Lanka 2-0 and India 3-1 last summer.

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.

Kuhnemann's inclusion appears to have seen him leapfrog Victorian Todd Murphy as Nathan Lyon's back up, but the left-armer will likely play a bigger role in the three-Test series against the West Indies where conditions are typically more suited to spinners than in England.

Pat Cummins' side are seeking to become the first nation to win multiple WTC finals when they face South Africa at Lord's from June 11. The first of three Tests against the Windies in Barbados, Grenada and Jamaica then gets underway on June 25.

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

Despite naming a consistent squad, intrigue surrounds the make-up of Australia's XI to contest the biennial Test showpiece in London with the returns of batters Green and Konstas, as well as fast bowlers Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, creating a selection squeeze.

Cummins and Hazlewood have overcome injuries that kept them out of the Sri Lanka tour and Champions Trophy earlier in the year, with both returning to action via the Indian Premier League.

That leaves George Bailey and his selection panel facing the unenviable task of trying to fit four world-class fast bowlers into three spots alongside spinner Lyon.

"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 Bailey said today.

"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."

With Cummins, barring injury, a certainty to play as captain, one of Mitchell Starc, Hazlewood and Scott Boland is set to miss out. Hazlewood sat out his Royal Challengers Bengaluru's most recent fixture with a shoulder niggle, but it's understood there's currently no concerns about his fitness for the WTC decider.

10:26 Play video Every wicket: Perfect Pat leads the way for the Aussies

Hazlewood has made an impressive comeback from hip and calf complaints throughout RCB's first 10 games of IPL 2025 and sat equal third on the wickets tally with 18 prior to the tournament's suspension last Friday due to the military conflict between neighbours India and Pakistan.

The right-armer watched from the sidelines during Australia's 2023 WTC triumph over India after failing to overcome Achilles and side injuries, with Boland playing a key role with five wickets for the match, including the vital breakthroughs of Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill on the final day.

South Australian quick Doggett will provide cover should injury strike again in the lead up to this year's Test playoff, as he did during last summer's Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in what marked his return to the Australian squad for the first time since 2018.

In March, the right-armer claimed the best ever match figures in Sheffield Shield final history (11-140) to lift his state to their first red-ball title in 29 years, and he began his ongoing county stint with Durham in fine form with nine wickets in his first two matches.

03:01 Play video Phenomenal Doggett sets new Sheffield Shield final benchmark

The 31-year-old edged out Sean Abbott, who toured Sri Lanka earlier this year, and Michael Neser, who was part of Australia's 15 for the last WTC final, for the reserve seamer's role.

Doggett is the only uncapped member of this year's squad, while it will be the first Test tour outside the subcontinent for Kuhnemann, the leading wicket-taker in Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, Travis Head's return to No.5 means more tough calls for selectors on the batting front with incumbents Josh Inglis (century on debut) and Webster (team top scorer on debut) both impressing in their first few Tests.

02:31 Play video Webster, Head steer Aussies to Border-Gavaskar Trophy win

Neither are likely to fill the vacancy at top of the order alongside Usman Khawaja.

Regular No.3 Marnus Labuschagne has been speculated as a potential option in recent days, while Konstas, a specialist opener, finished the Shield season with a pair of half-centuries in the Blues' last two games.

In-form left-hander Marcus Harris didn't win a recall despite being the leading run-scorer throughout the opening six rounds of England's County Championship second division, hitting his third century of the season for Lancashire on Saturday.

Labuschagne heads to the UK this week where he will warm up for the WTC decider with two appearances for long-time county side Glamorgan.

Green is also already in England where he is halfway through a five-match stint for Gloucestershire, hitting a century in his first game back from spinal surgery last October that ruled him out of the home summer, Sri Lanka tour and Champions Trophy.

The 25-year-old isn't expected to resume bowling until later in the year, leaving Webster, who joined Division One county Warwickshire at the start of the month, as the sole pace-bowling allrounder in Australia's Test squad.

The Tasmanian made an immediate impression with a run-a-ball 85 in his first game of the county season to help Warwickshire beat a star-studded Yorkshire side featuring Joe Root, Harry Brook and Jonny Bairstow.

Australia won four of their six series to clinch a spot in their second straight WTC final, also drawing 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 WTC final will also mark the Aussie Test team's return to Home of Cricket for the first time since Alex Carey's stumping of Bairstow ignited a hostile response from the Lord's crowd that led to a life ban for one Marylebone Cricket Club member and long suspensions for two others.

Cummins' side are then set to commence their next WTC campaign 10 days after the final with the first Test against the West Indies at Kensington Oval, Barbados.

Australia's squad to face the Windies in the five T20Is following the Test series will be announced at a later date.

World Test Championship Final

June 11-15: South Africa v Australia, Lord's

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