Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood Return As Australia Unveil Strong XI for Bangladesh Test

Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have returned to Australia’s playing XI for the first Test of the two-match series against Bangladesh as Australia announced their line-up on the eve of the series opener at Marrara Cricket Ground in Darwin.

The first Test will be played from August 13 to 17, with Cummins leading the Australian side. The captain will have Mitchell Starc and Hazlewood alongside him in the pace attack, while Nathan Lyon will be the team’s only specialist spinner.

With Cummins and Hazlewood back in the XI, Scott Boland has been left out. Wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis has also missed out despite scoring a century on his Test debut against Sri Lanka in January 2025.

Cummins admitted that Boland was unlucky to miss selection but believes the fast bowler will get his opportunity in the busy months ahead.

“We were pretty certain we wanted Lyono (Lyon) in the side, so (it came down to) working out what the make-up of the quicks was," Cummins said.

“It’s always a pretty tight call. It’s one of those ones where 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. I’m sure he’ll be out there at some point pretty soon," he added.

Starc was one of Australia’s key performers during the 2025-26 Ashes series, featuring in all five Tests. He finished with 31 wickets as Australia secured a 4-1 series victory. Cummins, however, was limited to just one appearance in the Ashes because of injury, while Hazlewood missed the entire series.

Hazlewood, who has taken 295 Test wickets, last represented Australia in a T20I against India in Melbourne on October 31, 2025. His return gives Australia a familiar and experienced pace attack for the Bangladesh series.

Cameron Green and Beau Webster will provide the all-rounder options, with Cummins confirming that Green will bat at No. 5, ahead of Alex Carey and Webster.

Jake Weatherald has also retained his place at the top of the order alongside Travis Head. Weatherald scored 201 runs across the five Ashes Tests and will be under pressure to make a strong contribution, especially with the first Test taking place on his home ground.

Australia’s playing XI for the first Test against Bangladesh:

Jake Weatherald, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (WK), Beau Webster, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (C), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.