Aussies Announce Ashes Squad

The Australian selectors have announced the squad for the first Ashes Test against England at the Gabba in Brisbane. They have named a large seventeen-player squad to account for injuries and poor form in the lead-up to the all-important first test. 

There were surprise call ups for Xavier Dohery, the 29 year-old left-hand spinner who only made his debut a couple of days ago. Uncapped batsmen Usman Khawaja and Callum Ferguson, in addition to Steve Smith, will all have a chance at testing the bookmakers’ odds in a game against England A this week. 

Andrew Hilditch commented that the final squad of 12 players would depend on the next series of warm-up matches. He felt that some of the surprise inclusions would keep the more experienced players on their toes while giving the fresh faces an extra incentive to perform. “It will be a lot of pressure on the players with such a big squad,” he said. 

England is expected to reveal its team on the 25th November, the morning of the first test, but injuries aside there are few surprises to be expected. 

Despite their shaky performances earlier in the year, bookmakers still see Australia as the most likely to win back the Ashes from England. It is nearly a quarter of a century since England last won the Ashes in Australia, and sports betting still favours the Aussies this time around with odds of 11/10 that they will take the series. England however, is considered a good bet to take the first match next week, with odds of 9/4.