Cameron Bancroft, Joe Burns, Travis Head and Michael Neser have been named in Australia's 14-man squad for the upcoming two-Test series against Pakistan. Marcus Harris, Usman Khawaja and Peter Siddle, who featured in the 17-man Ashes squad earlier this year, have been left out, Cricbuzz reports.
Bancroft wasn't even in the original squad for Australia A's practice game against Pakistan but found himself rushed in owing to Nic Maddinson's mental health break. Batting at No. 6, Bancroft made a gutsy 49 off 155 balls in Australia A's first innings effort of 122 all out, and has been picked in the Test squad for a middle-order spot. He will likely be competing for the No. 5 spot with Travis Head, Australia's co Test vice-captain who was dropped ahead of the final Ashes Test at the Oval. Head, though, got back into contention with a superlative 109 for South Australia against a strong New South Wales bowling attack last week.
Bancroft himself only played the first two Ashes Tests in England. His returns this season in the Sheffield Shield have been modest -- 57 runs in six innings at an average of 11.4 and a top score of 30 -- but finds himself in the squad owing to well-timed runs and unavailability of certain players.
Matthew Wade, with two Ashes Test hundreds to his name last series, continues to populate the middle order. He has hit three half-centuries in six Shield innings this season.
Will Pucovski, who was in contention for a middle order spot too, wasn't considered after he opted out of Test reckoning on grounds of mental health well-being. Peter Handscomb, with first-class scores of 30, 12, 19, 11 and 52 for Victoria this season, continues to miss out. Mitchell Marsh continues to recover from his fractured hand. Joe Burns had narrowly missed the Ashes berth earlier this year but is likely to partner David Warner at the top against Pakistan.
He has hit two half-centuries in three innings this Shield season but failed with scores of 0 and 11 in the practice match against Pakistan in Perth. Marcus Harris, in contrast, has a Shield hundred this season but it came on one of the flatter tracks at the Junction Oval. He was the replacement for Bancroft in the last three Ashes Tests to failed to make his chances count.
Neser has been picked ahead of Siddle, with the fast bowling attack also featuring Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc. Nathan Lyon is the lone specialist spinner whereas Tim Paine continues to lead the side.
