No place for Michael Neser, and Brendan Doggett as Australia name squad for Bangladesh Test series

Australia have announced a full-strength squad for the upcoming two-match home Test series against Bangladesh. Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins return to the Test side, having missed Australia's last Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground against England in the Ashes with injuries.

The return of the senior statesmen means there is no place for Michael Neser, Brendan Doggett and Todd Murphy, who were all involved in some capacity during the Ashes. While Murphy warmed the bench, Neser and Doggett were impressive with their performances in the home Ashes and stepped up when the team needed support with injuries to Cummins and Hazlewood.

Neser, in particular, was impressive. He claimed 15 wickets in three Ashes Tests, averaging 25.13, including a five-wicket haul. Doggett snared seven scalps in two Tests at an average of 30.71 and looked assured, despite playing his debut series. The selectors have put Murphy, Neser and Doggett on standby for the Bangladesh series. The series will be a part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle.

"The NSP [national selection panel] look forward to the return of Pat, Josh and Nathan," national selector George Bailey said. "They have worked extremely hard, individually and with the SSSM [sports science, sports medicine] teams, over the past few months to return from their respective injuries.

"While this is a 13-player squad, we have players prepared and available should any adjustments be required in the lead up to these matches. As previously stated, the volume of cricket and schedule across the next 12 months are likely to present further opportunities across all formats for many players."

The Bangladesh series kickstarts the beginning of 20 Tests in an 11-month period for the Aussies with the possibility of a WTC final appearance in June next year. Australia tried Jake Weatherald alongside Travis Head at the top during the Ashes and the outcome was encouraging. Bailey is optimistic that Weatherald will get better with time and opportunities and mature according to the demands of Test cricket.

"There were moments in that [Ashes] series where we liked the combination of what Jake and Travis were able to bring and what that looked like as a collective, and then also individually what Jake at his best looked like within that series," Bailey said. "So hopefully we do see some growth out of that and some understanding of what it takes for success at Test level."

Australia's Test squad vs Bangladesh

Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster