BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 25: Michael Neser of the Bulls bowls during day one of the Sheffield Shield match between Queensland Bulls and New South Wales Blues at The Gabba on October 25, 2016 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
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.
Bancroft tops this list after his surprise omission despite being the leading run-scorer in the recently concluded Sheffield Shield season. While Bancroft has not featured for his country in the longest format since the last Ashes tour in 2019, he has been racking up the runs in the domestic circuit.
When the Western Australian's name comes up, most think of his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal against South Africa, however, he has been steadily putting in the hard yards with the bat. Bancroft hit 945 runs at an average of 59.06, smashing four centuries along the way in this summer's domestic season. He was also the only player to score more than two centuries.
Instead of going with the man in form, the Aussie selectors went for veteran opening pair Usman Khawaja and David Warner with Matthew Renshaw and Marcus Harris being their backups at the top of the order. In comparison to the latter two, across the last three years in Sheffield Shield cricket, Bancroft scored 2125 runs at an average of 48.3, whereas Harris piled up 1618 runs at 46.23 and Renshaw with just 1220 runs at 43.27.
With the opening positions more important than ever for the visitors in a huge series away from home against an aggressive English outfit, Bancroft remains on the receiving end of a bold decision by the Australian cricket board.
The non-selection of Neser has definitely raised a few eyebrows, given his skillset in the English conditions. The selectors have gone with just four specialist pacers, which might prove to be a bit of a gamble in the seam-friendly pitches in England.
Neser also comes off an impressive domestic season picking up 39 wickets in his 8 matches at an average of just 17.15, aiding Queensland to a third-place finish on the ladder, just shy of the big final.
Neser also has the ability to make runs, scoring 357 at an average of 35.7 in the Shield this year and also notching up a mighty 136 against a really strong NSW attack. Neser's key weapon with the ball in his reverse-swinging deliveries could facilitate damage to the English batsmen.
However, unlikely to feature over the likes of skipper Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood, and Boland has resulted in his omission from the squad but Neser is currently in England playing County Cricket for Glamorgan and will be amongst the camp in case an injury halts one of the mentioned pacers involvement in the series.
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.
Abbott was on the verge of a Test debut after breaking into the Australian squad a few years ago but has fallen out of contention in recent times. Cementing himself as a white-ball regular and being a strong shout as an inclusion ahead of the 50-over world cup in India, Abbott still awaits his opportunity to receive a baggy green.
Abbott finished this season's Sheffield Shield as NSW's leading wicket-taker, picking up 21 wickets at an average of 29.33. Further away from fellow omitted pacer Neser, to be a part of the traveling contingent Abbott still shows promising potential to play for his country in white.
Abbott is currently playing in the County Championship like he has a point to prove, picking up a fifer in the first round and scoring a 42 against an experienced Lancashire side. In the second round, Abbott scored a swashbuckling fifty aiding Surrey to a comprehensive nine-wicket win against Hampshire.
Abbott looks like he is taking to the English conditions like fish to water and will look to cut out the external noise and secure himself as a future prospect for his country.
Despite playing a key role in Australia's sole win on their tour of India, Kuhnemann has been snubbed for the Aussies' travels to England. In only his second test match, Kuhnemann was a nightmare for the Indian batsmen in Indore taking a fifer for just 16 runs in only 9 overs.
With the omission, it looks like Kuhnemann was only included because Australia was in need of spinning options in the subcontinent, and with no tours to the subcontinent on the horizon, the left-armer will have to wait till the next tour to Asia to prove his worth at the top level and was also therefore not provided with a national contract for this year.
Victorian Todd Murphy was preferred to Kuhnemann and is likely to join Nathon Lyon in case the Australian decides to field two spinners.
Also, playing County Cricket, last week Kuhnemann bowled Durham to a dramatic final-day victory against Worcestershire claiming 5/53 from 23.4 overs on day four of a high-scoring contest.
The Queenslander will look to keep his head down and utilize every opportunity he gets to prove that he is not to be overlooked in future series.
Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson and Will Sutherland were also tipped to have been in contention for the Ashes campaign but untimely injuries have ruled the trio out. Cricket Australia will look to have the pacers on track to full fitness ahead of a big summer for Australian cricket.