Jake Weatherald and Brendan Doggett are set to make their Australia debuts in the first Ashes Test at the Perth Stadium, with Beau Webster missing out on a spot in the playing XI, confirmed Steve Smith
The horror show by Smith-led New South Wales was the major highlight, as despite the presence of Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood, NSW registered a poor outing, which slid them to third place in the table.
With the Ashes set to commence from November 21 at Perth, plenty of Australian stars have found rhythm and got game time heading into the all-important rivalry, a massive series in their chase for the ICC World Test Championship Mace.
Starc struck early, dismissing four of Victoria's top six batsmen, while his Australia teammate Nathan Lyon chipped in with 2-65, removing the other two top-order batsmen.
Australia captain Pat Cummins has said he is eager to play as much cricket as possible in the upcoming Test summer but admitted he may have to manage his workload carefully depending on the demands of each match.
"I'd like to see the selectors pick the sides, not the players. There's been a lot of players recently picking sides and saying who should be in the team. That's the selectors' job," he said.
Australia swashbuckler Travis Head will remain unavailable for the final two matches of the five-match series to prepare for the Ashes, scheduled to begin on November 21, while representing South Australia in the Sheffield Shield.
Now, it seems increasingly likely that he'll keep his spot even though Lyon is expected to return for the opening Test against England in Perth. Captain Pat Cummins admitted that it's "less likely than likely" he'll be fit to recover slowly from a back injury.
Veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon emphasised the importance of spinners in Australian cricket and highlighted how variations in spin can significantly alter the tempo and impact the game.