Australia announce squad for ICC World Test Championship Final against South Africa

Cricket Australia on Tuesday unveiled its 15-member squad for the highly anticipated ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 final against South Africa, scheduled to take place at Lord's next month.

The squad sees the return of all-rounder Cameron Green, who has fully recovered from a back injury that sidelined him since March 2024. Green has been included not only for the WTC final but also for the upcoming Test series in the Caribbean, the squad for which was announced on May 13.

In addition to Green, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have also been recalled to the Test squad after missing the 2025 Champions Trophy due to injuries. Both players made their return to competitive cricket in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but Hazlewood missed the final match for Royal Challengers Bangalore with a shoulder issue and was uncertain to play before the IPL was temporarily suspended.

Brendan Doggett, who was named Player of the Match in the Sheffield Shield final, has been included as the sole travelling reserve for the squad.

The rest of the squad remains largely unchanged from the team that secured series wins over Sri Lanka (2-0) and India (3-1) last summer.

George Bailey, the Chair of selectors, expressed his excitement over the return of key players and praised the team's recent performances.

“We are fortunate and looking forward to having Pat (Cummins), Josh (Hazlewood), and Cam (Green) back in the squad,” Bailey said. 

“The team finished the WTC cycle with an impressive series victory in Sri Lanka following an equally strong summer in defeating India for the first time in a decade," he added. 

“Those series capped a consistent performance across the two-year cycle and now presents us with the incredibly exciting opportunity to defend the World Test Championship. It means a lot to the group to reach the final and they are very much looking forward to the challenge South Africa will present at Lord’s,” he concluded. 

Meanwhile, Beau Webster retains his spot as an all-rounder after a promising start to his Test career. Sam Konstas also rejoins the squad after leaving early during the Sri Lanka series to fulfil domestic commitments with New South Wales.

Matthew Kuhnemann, the left-arm spinner, has been preferred over Todd Murphy, although he is more likely to feature during the three-Test West Indies series starting on June 25.

Australia will be aiming to become the first team to successfully defend the World Test Championship title.

Australia's Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster

Travelling Reserve: Brendan Doggett