Australia name XI for first Test against Bangladesh with Hazlewood and Lyon returning
Australia have announced their playing XI for the opening Test against Bangladesh, to be held at Marrara Stadium in Darwin from August 13-17, 2026, as part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. The selection comes ahead of a two-match Test series that begins on August 13, 2026.
The match will be Australia’s first Test in eight months and arrives with Australia occupying the top position on the WTC points table with a PCT of 87.50 and 84 points. Bangladesh sit with a PCT of 58.33 and, out of four Tests in the current cycle, have won two, lost one and drawn one. Bangladesh are noted in the standings as being ahead of teams such as India, England and Pakistan in the WTC 2025-27 table.
Pat Cummins will captain the side for the opening Test, and Australia’s XI has been named as: Pat Cummins (C), Jake Weatherald, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Beau Webster, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood. The selectors described the line-up as experienced, with senior players returning from injury. The squad was confirmed ahead of the Marrara Stadium fixture.
Josh Hazlewood has been confirmed back in the playing XI and veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon has returned after recovering from a hamstring injury. Cummins confirmed Hazlewood’s inclusion when announcing the side. With Hazlewood available, Australia have the pace and spin options to set up their attack for the opening match.
The selection reunites Australia’s pace trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood in a Test match for the first time in more than a year. The presence of that fast-bowling combination was a stated factor in selection discussions. Australia chose to include Hazlewood ahead of Scott Boland despite Boland’s impressive performances during the Ashes when several senior bowlers were unavailable.
Cummins described the choice between Hazlewood and Boland as difficult and stressed Boland’s ongoing value to the team. “They’re both pretty class, aren’t they? We were pretty certain we wanted ‘Lyono’ on the side, so it came down to working out what the make-up of the quicks was. It’s always a pretty tight call. There’s not much you can say to Scotty other than obviously there’s a lot of cricket coming up. But he knows his worth and how good he is,” said Pat Cummins. Cummins also indicated his belief that Boland will continue to play an important role during Australia’s busy Test schedule.
The AUS vs BAN first Test begins on August 13, 2026 at Marrara Stadium in Darwin and is scheduled to run through August 17. Pat Cummins will lead Australia in the two-match Test series.
