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Pay deal sorted, so here's the first XI for the Ashes at the Gabba

3rd August, 2017
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Matt Renshaw. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
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3rd August, 2017
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With yesterday’s announcement that Cricket Australia has finally come to an agreement with the Players Association, it’s time to start planning ahead to the real challenge this Summer holds, the Ashes!

England currently hold The Urn after a hard fought 3-2 victory at home in 2015. It’s time for Australia to take charge and claim back what’s rightfully theirs.

Last time in Australia, England suffered a humiliating 5-0 defeat, but don’t expect such an easy route this time around. They will be firing and eager to keep hold of the precious Urn.

Selected below, are the eleven players best equipped to take down The Poms with a nice mix of youth and experience. This side may change throughout the series but the seaming wicket the Gabba always seems to produce has played a role in the selection of this side.

1. David Warner
Warner is the second best batsmen in this side and one of Australias finest in history. With 5454 runs (average 47.42) and 18 Test hundreds, Warner will need to stand up to the English quicks at the top of the order. If Warner gets Australia off to a good start, sometimes it’s difficult for opponents to pull the momentum back. For Australia to succeed, he will need a big series.

2. Matt Renshaw
What a year it’s been for Renshaw. This time last year, he was gearing up for a big state season, trying to cement his place in the Queensland side. Now he’s a permanent fixture at the top of the order for Australia. Renshaw’s summer last year was the stuff dreams are made off, capped of by a brilliant 184 at the SCG.

Renshaw is the perfect foil to Warner as he can play his own game and accumulate runs down the other end while Warner stays on the offensive. Watch for Renshaw to have a huge summer against his native side.

Matt Renshaw celebrates century SCG

(AAP Image/David Moir)

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3. Steve Smith
Arguably Australia’s best batsman since Bradman, Steve Smith is clearly the best batsman in the world right now. As such, he must lead from the front and bat himself at first drop. With 5251 runs (average 61.05) and 20 hundreds to his name, the sky’s the limit for Smith.

Ricky Ponting’s Test career record of 13387 seems shaky at this stage as Smith’s divine run continues in the long form of the game. Smith needs to have a big summer if Australia are any chance to wrestle the Urn back from England.

4. Usman Khawaja
The unluckiest guy in Australian cricket last season. After having a absolute gangbuster of a summer (which included quite possibly the gutsiest hundred ever seen on Australian soil in last year’s day-night Test match against South Africa) Khawaja was dropped for the Indian Test series. Watch for him to have a big summer with the proverbial chip on his shoulder.

5. Peter Handscomb
The other newcomer to the side last Summer, Handscomb solidified his place on the team with several assured knocks. With a record of 597 runs (average 54.27) and two hundreds, Handscomb silenced his doubters made the number five spot his own.

Handscomb is the man you want coming in if Australia has lost three quick wickets. While his technique is quite uncommon, his eye and feel for the ball is second to none which should hold him in good stead for this summer.

Australian batsman Peter Handscomb

(AAP Image/Dan Peled)

6. Glenn Maxwell
Quite possibly the most contentious spot on this side. Maxwell makes the cut in this instance, by virtue of a tremendously weak field against him. The Marsh Brothers are done at Test level and Hilton Cartwright just doesn’t provide enough with the ball to be considered an all rounder at this stage, while Nic Maddinson really dropped off the radar after his uninspiring debut last summer.

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That leaves Maxwell, who took his opportunity with both hands, scoring a jaw-dropping hundred in the third Test against India earlier this year.

If Maxwell can continue scoring runs, while being able to chip in with ten or so overs of off-spin a match, he can be the perfect number six for Australia.

Should he falter in the first few Tests however, look for Cartwright or South Australia’s Travis Head to take his place.

7. Peter Nevill
“If only he could bat like Gilly”. A thought that has probably gone through every Australian Cricket fan’s mind at some stage about Nevill. His wicket keeping ability is second to none and is probably one of Australia’s finest gloveman ever.

Unfortunately in this day and age, a keeper is expected to be able to chip in with runs down the order and with only 468 runs at 22.28, Nevill is not cutting the mustard at this stage. However given that Matthew Wade – Australia’s incumbent keeper – has been less than impressive behind the stumps, Nevill gets the nod in this instance.

Australia's wicketkeeper Peter Nevill arrives for training

(AFP PHOTO/PAUL ELLIS)

8. Mitchell Starc
The lead of Australia’s pace attack, Mitchell Starc is Australia’s undoubted best Test bowler right now. With 148 wickets at 28.35, he is the man Smith can turn to at any time if he feels he needs a wicket badly.

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With nine 50s, Starc is also a very reasonable tail end batsmen and could arguably bat at 7 with Nevill in this side.

Starc is probably the man to watch out for this summer. In the 2013-14 Ashes series, Mitchell Johnson produced quite possibly the most ferocious summer of fast bowling anyone has ever seen – this time, it’s Starc’s turn.

9. Pat Cummins
At last, he’s fit! For years, Pat Cummins remained this enigma in Australian Cricket. He had played one Test, and single handedly won one Test. That was it. Between spinal stress fractures to ankle injuries, Cummins had been forced off the field year after year.

That changed this year when Cummins finally returned to the Test arena, playing the final two Tests against India. He looked good too, taking eight wickets, while also scoring some handy lower order runs.

Cummins is an absolute menace for batsmen and more than justifies his place on this side when he’s fit.

10. Nathan Lyon
Saved his Test match career in India with a terrific series. Took 19 wickets, including a career best 8/50 in the second Test.

You know what you’re getting with Lyon. He will give you solid line and length bowling with some turn and bounce. He’s unlikely to turn a game for you however, therein lying the problem for Australian Cricket.

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Australia needs a leg spinner moving forward if they want to return to their past years’ dominant play. Mitch Swepson was taken to India but not used unfortunately as Australia went with the tried and proven combo of Lyon and O’Keefe in their search for Indian glory.

It didn’t come off however and as such, became a wasted opportunity for what could have been with the Swepson experiment. Going forward, both he and Zampa may be the long term solution.

However neither can be picked to make their debut in the first Test of an Ashes series. It’s not fair on them or the team. By default, Lyon keeps his place but by no means should he be resting on his laurels.

11. Josh Hazlewood
Josh Hazlewood completes the pace trio in this side. His line and length bowling is the perfect fiddle to Cummins and Starc and will suit the conditions provided by the harder Australian wickets.

Hazlewood boasts the exemplary record of 118 wickets at 25.39 and is the closest thing Australia has had to Glenn McGrath since the man himself.

Hazlewood fits in perfectly into this side and should perform well this Summer.

The last few months have certainly not been the easiest for the Australia setup. But now the contracts have been signed, it’s time to push the go button on the year’s Ashes preparations! England will be ready – so must Australia be, come day one at the Gabba.

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