HEAD GETS THE NOD AS AUSTRALIA CONFIRM XI FOR FIRST ASHES TEST

Australia confirmed their line-up for the first Ashes Test three days early yesterday, recalling Travis Head for the hotly contested number five spot while retaining Mitchell Starc in the bowling attack.

Head was dropped after the Boxing Day Test against India last year, and new Australia captain Pat Cummins said the way he has responded gave him a narrow edge over the veteran Usman Khawaja.

Starc faced a strong challenge from Jhye Richardson, who has been snaring wickets with his extreme pace in recent Sheffield Shield matches.

But the selectors opted to stay with the established troupe of quicks, with Starc and Josh Hazlewood taking the new ball, and Cummins said he will be the first change bowler. Confirmation of the side days ahead of Wednesday’s toss at The Gabba in Brisbane has given the Australians time to focus solely on the Test and not be distracted by selection issues.

England, however, who last held the Ashes in 2015, were in no hurry to follow suit. “We’ve got all the options on the table just now and we’re not going to name the team just yet,” captain Joe Root said.

Australia XI: Marcus Harris, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood. -AFP