With the most famous cricketing rivalry fast approaching, Australia unveiled a 17-man squad for the first three tests of this year's Ashes.
With the all-important World Test Championship final prior to the highly-anticipated England tour, Pat Cummins and co will be primed to be at their best and look to become the first Australian side to win an Ashes series on English soil since 2001.
George Bailey, chief selector for the Australian Men's national team announced the squads for the WTC final and Ashes series on the 19th of April. The list included the surprise inclusions of Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Harris, and Josh Inglis as the trio make their return to the longest format of the game.
"Marcus (Harris), Josh (Inglis, reserve keeper) and Mitch (Marsh) return to the squad and will provide valuable depth and flexibility within their respective skillsets," Bailey said.
With every squad announcement comes a set of players that have been snubbed, here in this article we take a closer look at those names and identify the reasonings behind their omissions.
3. Peter Handscomb (Victoria)
The Victorian skipper is another huge surprise omission from the Aussie contingent for the Ashes. Many fans remain in shock over the inclusion of Mitchell Marsh over Handscomb, despite the former not playing test cricket since 2019.
Both Marsh and Handscomb showcased impressive first-class form, however Handscomb's strong form in India, combined with several excellent displays in County Cricket made many believe he would continue on for the Ashes.
George Bailey said the changes made to the squad had been in part due to the vastly different conditions in England compared to those faced recently in India.
“The World Test Championship is the culmination of more than two years of consistent performance at Test level by the team and the individuals involved, leading into an Ashes series which is always highly anticipated,”
“The UK is a very different assignment from our most recent tour of India and some of the changes are based upon the conditions we are anticipating."
Handscomb racked up a mighty 634 runs in just six matches of Shield cricket this season, at an average of 70.44. Against an important clash against Western Australia earlier in the season, Handscomb lead by example and scored an unbeaten 281 against an attack with the likes of Jhye Richardson and Lance Morris.
Handscomb's ability to keep wickets was also overlooked as Josh Inglis was favored despite not even scoring a fifty in the Shield. Inglis' addition to the squad is his first involvement on a test tour with the Australian national side, meaning Handscomb will remain a spectator in spite of commendable efforts on the domestic and international front.
