Manchester: Australia have not included left-handed batsman Usman Khawaja in the 12-man squad for the fourth Ashes Test against England beginning Wednesday at the Old Trafford.
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Right-arm pacer James Pattinson has been rested while Peter Siddle and Mitchell Starc have been named in the squad.It means four fast bowlers — Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Starc and Siddle — will be fighting it out for three spots, with the pitch and conditions at Old Trafford set to determine the final XI.
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Khawaja has averaged 20.33 in six innings he played in the series so far, with four scores between 13 and 40.
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It is almost two years to the day since the last time the left-handed batter was dropped from the Test side for the second Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong, reports cricket.com.au.
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Marnus Labuschagne will bat at No. 3 while Steve Smith will slot back at No. 4 as Australia look to retain the Ashes in Manchester. All-rounder Mitchell Marsh, however, finds himself out of favour once again despite his good all-round show against Derbyshire.
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Australia 12-man squad: David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Matt Wade, Tim Paine (c, wk), Pat Cummins, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
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