Usman Khawaja was recalled when the 15-man squad was announced in Australia

Alexander Britton

Australia announced the 15-man lineup of the first two Ashes Tests-Usman Kavaja’s strong domestic status forced him to be recalled.

Khawaja’s last Ash outing was in 2019, when he scored only 40 points in the first three tests, and then returned for Steve Smith’s injury at Old Trafford and the Oval. Give Way.

The 34-year-old player performed well in the Sheffield Shield game and ran 404 times in 6 rounds of domestic competitions.

The chairman of the National Selection Panel, George Bailey, said that Kavaja has been in a state of “good contact.”

He added: “He brings a calm, consistent and experienced element to the batting lineup, and is a mature running scorer at the test level.

“He also has the ability to hit the ball in a series of positions in the batting sequence.”

Khawaja looks set to compete for a place in the last 11 games with Travis Head, who played 163 games at the beginning of the domestic season, but has recently fallen behind.

Bailey said: “Travis performed well last summer, second only to Cameron Green in scoring, and started the season well again.

“He pushes the game forward and can put opponents under pressure with his ability to score quickly.”

At the same time, after the success of the England season, Marcus Harris was supported and established a strong partnership with David Warner, who was at the top of the list.

Bailey said: “Marcus has always been a stable scorer in the country, and spent a strong winter in Leicestershire, further developing his game.”

On the ball, pacemaker Jhye Richardson returned to the team, Michael Neser was part of the 15 players when he recovered from a hamstring injury, and leg spinner Mitch Swepson served as a spinner to substitute non-spinner Nathan Lyon.

Ashes will start in Gabba on December 8, and the second test will be in Adelaide.

Before the series, England will have two intra-squad matches in Brisbane, Australia. One of the English Lions will face the Australian A team, including T20 World Cup champions Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inger Liss and Ashton Agar.

“This group is very balanced to ensure that we are prepared for the many challenges of the Ashes series,” Bailey said.

“It has experienced and proven performers as well as emerging and developing talents.

“We will bring this 15-man team to the first test in Brisbane and the pink ball game in Adelaide, after which we can re-evaluate the remaining games.”

Australia’s Ashes will be: Tim Payne (c), Pat Cummins (vc), Cameron Green, Josh Hadeswood, Marcus Harris, Travis Hyde , Usman Kavaja, Manus Rabchagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Naser, Jay Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Stark, Mitchell Swipson, David Warner