Cricket
Australia on Tuesday announced a full-strength 18-member Test squad for
Australia’s three-match Test series for their upcoming Pakistan tour as Justin
Langer has bid farewell to the Australian cricket team as chief coach.

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Australia
will tour Pakistan for the first time since 1998. The squad was confirmed three
days after Langer rejected a six-month contract extension offer by Cricket
Australia. Andrew McDonald has been named Australia’s interim coach.

Australia
under their new leader Pat Cummins won the Ashes Test series 4-0 against
archrivals England at home last month.

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Opener
Marcus Harris and Usman Khawaja have been included in the squad. In the Ashes
series, Harris was replaced by Khawaja for the fourth and fifth Test. Josh Hazlewood, who missed four of the
five Ashes Tests because of injury, has also returned to the side as he forms
the pace attack with captain Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Michael
Never and all-rounder Cameron Green.

Ashton
Agar and Mitchell Swepson have been added as additional spinners to assist
veteran Nathan Lyon.

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“This
squad covers for all scenarios, including the conditions, given it has been
such a long time since Australia was last in Pakistan,” selector George Bailey
said.

“With
several subcontinent tours and a one-day World Cup in India on the near
horizon, this is a great first-up challenge for the group after the successful
home Ashes Series.

Also Read: Former Australia coach Justin Langer, with integrity and dignity, moves on to the next chapter

“It’s
also a very historic tour given the length of time since an Australian side
last toured Pakistan.”

Meanwhile,
expressing concern over the Pakistan tour due to fear of security threat,
Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive Todd Greenberg told
Melbourne radio station SEN on Monday that he wouldn’t be surprised if there
were changes to the squad.

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“Clearly
there’s some anxiety about touring, and that’s perfectly natural given an
Australian cricket team hasn’t toured Pakistan for almost 25 years,” Greenberg
said.

We
may have one or two players that won’t be comfortable despite all of the advice
and guidance that we provide, and that’s OK.”

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Australia
squad: Pat Cummins (captain), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron
Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja,
Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, Steve Smith,
Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner