Mennie bolts into Aussie Test squad

Ahead of a summer that’s set to feature plenty of twists, the first surprise has come from Australia’s selectors as they named uncapped West End Redbacks pacemen Joe Mennie in Australia’s 12-man squad for the opening two matches of the Commonwealth Bank Test series against South Africa.

Quick Single: Mennie happy returns in Perth for Joe

Mennie is the summer’s maiden bolter following today’s squad announcement by National Selection Panel chairman Rod Marsh at the WACA Ground, which will host next Thursday’s opening Test.

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The tall right-armer edged out Test squad incumbent Jackson Bird to form a four-strong pace attack alongside spearheads Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood and the returning Peter Siddle.

National Selector Rod Marsh said: "Joe bowls a great length at a lively pace and his form in first-class cricket has been terrific in the last 12 months. He also impressed us during the recent Australia A Series in Queensland.

"He was the highest wicket-taker in the Sheffield Shield last season and is very handy with the bat."

Western Australia batsman Shaun Marsh proved he had overcome a hamstring injury with scores of 73 and 110 against South Australia in their Sheffield Shield clash in Perth, and will open the batting alongside vice-captain David Warner.

Usman Khawaja returns to the starting XI after he was dropped for Australia’s final Test against Sri Lanka in August, but there was no room for fellow Queenslander Joe Burns who missed out despite scoring a Shield century against a NSW attack that featured Starc, Hazlewood and Test spinner Nathan Lyon this week.

"Both Shaun and Joe played very well in the Sheffield Shield round but Shaun is coming off back-to-back hundreds in Test matches and has performed very well in Perth and Hobart so we have opted to go with him," Marsh said.

Quick Single: Batting, not bowling, hurt Bird's chances

Captain Steve Smith is set to bat at his favoured No.4 ahead of local pair Adam Voges and Mitchell Marsh, with gloveman Peter Nevill rounding out the top seven.

With NSW trio Starc, Hazlewood and Lyon certainties to play, the third seam-bowler’s spot looks set to be a showdown between rookie Mennie and veteran Siddle.

Mennie was the leading wicket-taker in last summer’s Sheffield Shield season, capturing 51 wickets in 11 matches for the tournament runners-up.

While the 27-year-old had a maiden international outing to forget (0-82 from 10 overs against the Proteas in Johannesburg – the worst by an Australian debutant), he bounced back with 3-49 in the final one-day international in Cape Town.

Quick Single: More than a numbers game for Joe

Mennie has also tasted first-class success against South Africa A when he collected consecutive five-wicket hauls in back-to-back four-day matches representing Australia A this winter in Brisbane and Townsville.

In those two matches in Queensland, Mennie claimed the wickets of Proteas squad members Dean Elgar, Stephen Cook, Temba Bavuma, Dane Vilas and Vernon Philander in the 2-0 series victory.

For Siddle, he dispelled any concerns about his form and fitness with a typically frugal display for Victoria this week, taking 2-22 from 17 overs with the pink Kookaburra ball against Tasmania at the MCG.

Recovered from back stress fractures in February, Siddle had said the second Test in Hobart or the day-night Test at the Adelaide Oval were his likely return dates, but the selectors were confident the 31-year-old was ready to resume his 61-Test career.

Mennie’s selection is another example of how the NSP reward standout performances at Shield level.

In the wake of the 2014-15 Sheffield Shield season, leading wicket-taker Fawad Ahmed was selected on the Qantas Tours of the Caribbean and British Isles, although the leg-spinner wasn’t chosen to make his Test debut.

One spot behind Ahmed that season was Tasmania quick Andrew Fekete, who was named in Australia’s Test squad to Bangladesh before the tour was ultimately cancelled due to security concerns.

Quick Single: Selectors put misfiring Marsh on notice

And since the last summer’s Shield final in March, three of the top five wicket-takers have made their debut for Australia at international level in Mennie (first), state teammate Daniel Worrall (second) and Victorian Chris Tremain (fifth), with Bird (third) carrying the drinks in Sri Lanka.

Bird will perhaps feel the unluckiest omission having taken 5-59 in his last Test against New Zealand in February before touring Sri Lanka with the Test side as they were getting whitewashed by the hosts. 

Australia squad for the first two Commonwealth Bank Test matches: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Joe Mennie, Peter Nevill, Peter Siddle, Mitch Starc, Adam Voges

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