Australia confirm first Ashes Test team, with Travis Head and Mitchell Starc included

Batsman Usman Khawaja and seam bowler Jhye Richardson had been vying for a spot in the starting line-up in Brisbane, but Aussie captain Pat Cummins confirmed on Sunday that Head and Starc would feature instead

Australia have named their side for the first Test against England at the Gabba, and there is no place for Usman Khawaja or Jhye Richardson.

Aussie captain Pat Cummins confirmed on Sunday that Travis Head and Mitchell Starc would feature at the Gabba ahead of Khawaja and Richardson. Michael Neser also misses out.

Conditions in Brisbane are unsettled, and England will wait until much closer to the toss on Wednesday before deciding on their XI.

However, Cummins - newly appointed to succeed Tim Paine as skipper - is happy to have been able to announce his side well in advance.

^{Mitchell Starc has been picked for the first Ashes Test (Chris Hyde/Getty Images)}

Head lost his place in the Australia Test team to Matthew Wade but had been recalled for the cancelled tour of South Africa in February. He struggled for form in the County Championship with Sussex in the English summer, with 183 runs in 11 innings, but has shown an improvement in the Sheffield Shield.

Head has hit two hundreds in the domestic first-class competition in Australia, with 163 against Western Australia in September and 101 against Queensland less than a fortnight ago.

Starc, meanwhile, has been criticised by some pundits for his recent form, with Shane Warne in particular adamant that the left-armer should be dropped in favour of Richardson.

However, Australia have stood by the 31-year-old, who will play his 62nd Test.

AUSTRALIA TEAM: 1st ASHES TEST

David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc

"It was a tight one. Both really good options, (with) really strong form," Cummins said.

"The experience from Uzzie (Khawaja) is great and we are really lucky to have that but Trav has been playing a lot of us in the last couple of years and has churned out runs."

Cummins still has to decide whether to open the bowling himself or chuck the ball to Starc in partnership with Josh Hazlewood.

"No [I haven’t decided] is the honest answer; I probably won’t [open] first-up, but we’ve been quite fluid in recent years, pending the situation," Cummins said.

"Maybe [he will if it’s] late in the day and with only a couple of overs to bowl and I feel I want to have a crack."

The first Test is due to get under way at the Gabba on Wednesday, December 8.

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