Potential debutant picked in Australia's first Test squad to face Pakistan
Having enjoyed a prolific start to his first class career, taking 74 wickets at an average of 25.44, Morris could make his Test debut at Perth Stadium in his home state of Western Australia.
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Capable of hitting 150kph on the speed gun, Morris looks uninhibited after returning from a back injury, taking 11 wickets in three outings in this season's Sheffield Shield.
Morris joins a world-class pace artillery, including captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland. Pace-bowling all-rounders Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh are included and will likely compete for one spot in the XI, while off-spinner Nathan Lyon beat out Todd Murphy for a spot in the squad having recovered from the calf injury that ruled him out of the Ashes series.
On the batting front, Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith were unsurprising inclusions, with David Warner also remaining an integral part of the group, given no back-up batter was named. Those in the running for a place in the squad, namely Cameron Bancroft, Matt Renshaw and Marcus Harris, have been named in the Prime Minister's XI to play Pakistan in an audition on December 6.
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Men's selection panel chair George Bailey says those who lifted the World Test Championship mace earlier in the year deserved to return, though there is opportunity for those on the fringes to contribute in Australia's quest in the new WTC cycle.
“This group, led by Pat Cummins, has built a strong resume over an extended period. We believe they have earnt the opportunity to start in our first home Test match of the new World Test Championship cycle.
"As ever, there will be opportunities in the short to medium term to break into this squad and we look forward to seeing the continued strong performances from players who have been performing domestically, many of whom will get a tremendous opportunity in the PM’s XI fixture against Pakistan later this week," Bailey said.
Australia squad:(First Test only) Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Lance Morris, Steve Smith, Mitch Starc, David Warner
Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi
First Test: December 14-18, Perth Stadium
Second Test: December 26-30, MCG
**Third Test:**January 3-7, SCG