'It all made sense': Pat Cummins confirms Australia XI for West Indies series opener
A new era of Australian cricket will begin on Wednesday, with skipper Pat Cummins confirming his team's line-up for the Test series opener against the West Indies.
For the first time in over a decade, David Warner will now be an absent figure at Test level, after he retired following the recent Pakistan series whitewash.
The 37-year-old will be replaced at the top of the order by Steve Smith, while all-rounder Cameron Green has earned a recall in the No.4 role.
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Speaking to the media prior to the clash at Adelaide Oval, the skipper revealed the make-up of his side to face the under-strength Windies, which will see just one change from the SCG Test earlier this month.
Cameron Green is back on deck for Australia. Getty
"We were pretty open that we thought Cam Green was in our top six batters and really all that was to iron out was the details around the order," he said.
"It wasn't until around then that we started chatting seriously to 'Smudge' (Smith) and found out just how keen he was and the reasons why [he wanted to open].
"It all made sense to get Smithy into a position that he'd love to bat in, and Green into a spot he's scored Shield runs and knows pretty well, so it made good sense."
The bowling cartel headlined by Cummins will remain intact, with fellow quicks Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc both named in the lineup.
No changes to Australia's red-hot bowling attack. Getty
Mitchell Marsh will hold onto his No.6 spot after strong performances against both England and Pakistan, while last year's top run-scorer Usman Khawaja will open alongside Smith for the hosts.
For the visitors, Kraigg Braithwaite has revealed three players - Kavem Hodge, Justin Greaves and Shamar Joseph - will make their Test debuts this week.
Former captain Jason Holder and all-rounder Kyle Mayers are both absent due to T20 commitments, with the Windies returning Down Under after last year's horror series loss.
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Australia XI: Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
West Indies XI: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Justin Greaves, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Kemar Roach
