BRISBANE, Australia — Australian cricket fans are set for a potentially historic moment next month, as three of the nation’s elite fast and spin bowlers have recovered from injury layoffs and are in line to rejoin the squad for a two-Test series against Bangladesh, bringing the country’s legendary “Big Four” bowling attack one step closer to a full reunion.
For years, pace bowlers Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and off-spinner Nathan Lyon have formed Australia’s undisputed first-choice bowling lineup, widely regarded as one of the most formidable Test attacks in modern cricket. However, recurring injury issues have sidelined key members at different points in recent series, preventing all four from sharing the starting XI together as often as fans and selectors have hoped.
Australia’s men’s selection committee chair George Bailey confirmed in an announcement Tuesday that while no starting XI has been finalized weeks out from the first match, Cummins, Hazlewood and Lyon – who all spent months on the injury list – are now fully fit and available for selection.
“We won’t be locking in a starting XI this far out from the series, that much is to be expected,” Bailey told reporters. “But what we do know is we have the depth across this group to cover every scenario across these two Tests. I’m confident that we will see all four members of the Big Four take the field together in an upcoming Test.”
Bailey added that the three returning bowlers put in extraordinary work over the off-season, training individually and alongside national fitness staff to overcome their respective injuries and regain full match readiness.
The 13-man squad named for the Bangladesh series offers selectors significant tactical flexibility, with additional depth provided by pace bowler Scott Boland and all-rounders Cameron Green and Beau Webster. Bailey noted that the coming 12 months will bring a packed international schedule across all three formats of the game, meaning even players not named in the starting XI for the Bangladesh series will have plenty of opportunities to earn caps in upcoming matches.
The series against Bangladesh will launch a demanding 12-month period for the Australian Test team that includes 20 total Test matches, with away tours scheduled for South Africa, India and England later in the cycle. The opening Test against Bangladesh will take place in Darwin, Northern Territory from August 13 to 17, while the second match will be hosted in Mackay, Queensland from August 22 to 26.
Opening batsman Jake Weatherald, who was part of Australia’s Ashes series win over England last summer, has been retained in the squad, and is on track to open the batting alongside Travis Head for the Bangladesh series.
Full 13-man Australia squad: Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster.