 "Australia announce playing XI for first Test vs New Zealand, Devon Conway ruled out")
Steve Smith will continue to open Australia’s batting order with Usman Khawaja as captain Pat Cummins announced his playing XI for the first Test against New Zealand in Wellington. Smith has been kept as an opener since veteran batter David Warner’s retirement earlier this year, and his performance in Australia’s most recent Test series against the West Indies was mixed, with the right-hander failing three times before hitting a valuable 91* in the second innings in Brisbane.
Cummins revealed that Australia would choose an unchanged XI for the first Test against the Kiwis, which begins on Thursday at Basin Reserve, with Smith at the top of the batting order and Cameron Green and Mitch Marsh definitely starting in a relatively fresh top six.
The last time Australia used a different attack was in the last Test of the Ashes series at The Oval, when Todd Murphy filled in for injured spinner Nathan Lyon.
Meanwhile, Black Caps opening batsman Devon Conway has been ruled out of the first Test against Australia with a thumb injury, New Zealand Cricket said on the eve of the game. Conway will miss the match after hurting his thumb in a T20 defeat to Australia last Friday in Auckland. New Zealand went on to lose the T20 series 3-0.
He has been sidelined for the first Test after scans showed damage to his left thumb, New Zealand Cricket said. Experienced batsman Henry Nicholls has been called up as cover.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“It’s disappointing for Devon to be ruled out on the eve of an important match,” said New Zealand head coach Gary Stead.
“He’s a class player batting at the top of the order for us and I know he was really looking forward to this series.”
But Stead welcomed the return of Nicholls, who was originally left out of the squad.
“It’s nice to have a player of Henry’s calibre to call on,” Stead said.
“He has plenty of Test experience and covers a number of positions in our batting order.”
The Black Caps are waiting to know whether Conway will be able to play in the second and final Test, which starts in Christchurch on March 8.
Australia XI: Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitch Starc, Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood
New Zealand squad: Tim Southee (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Neil Wagner, Kane Williamson, Will Young
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