Megan Schutt surprisingly omitted, Lanning to bat five as the hosts are sent in by England in the one-off Ashes Test in Canberra
King debuts, Aussies bat first in Ashes Test
Australia have handed a Test debut to leg-spinner Alana King for the one-off red-ball Ashes match at Manuka Oval, in which England have won the toss and elected to bowl.
King, who played her first international one week ago in the opening T20I, becomes the 181st woman to play Test cricket for Australia, while Australia also made a shock call to leave Megan Schutt out of their XI.
Australia XI: Alyssa Healy (wk), Rachael Haynes, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Meg Lanning (c), Tahlia McGrath, Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Darcie Brown
England XI: Lauren Winfield-Hill, Tammy Beaumont, Heather Knight (c), Natalie Sciver, Sophia Dunkley, Amy Jones (wk), Katherine Brunt, Charlie Dean, Anya Shrubsole, Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross
The Western Australia and Perth Scorchers spinner was presented with her Baggy Green cap by former Australia leggie – and King's former Melbourne Stars and Victoria teammate – Kristen Beams.
Australia went with the wrist spin option of King ahead of the pace and bounce of Stella Campbell, with three changes made to the Test XI that took on India on the Gold Coast last September.
Image Id: 212B897523B14B5A8E5DA763D1FAC6FB Image Caption: Debutant Alana King with dad Leroy, mum Sharon and brother Marc // cricket.com.auCampbell, alongside the injured Sophie Molineux (foot) and Georgia Wareham (ACL) are the omissions from that drawn pink-ball Test against India.
Rachael Haynes and Jess Jonassen, who both missed that Gold Coast Test due to either injury or parental leave, return to the Australia XI, alongside the inclusion of King.
Schutt, one of the world's best pace bowlers, had been expected to be included after missing last year's pink-ball game against India while on parental leave, however a Cricket Australia spokesperson said she is still under-conditioned after coming back from a bout of Covid-19, so she will not be risked with three ODIs still to round out this multi-format Ashes series, and the ODI World Cup to follow in New Zealand.
Beth Mooney has taken her place in the XI, named at No.3, despite undergoing surgery on a fractured jaw just nine days ago; the left-hander has three metal plates in her face and is restricted to eating through a straw, but was deemed medically fit to play two days out from the match.
England meanwhile handed a Test debut to off-spinner Charlie Dean.
Dean made her T20I debut in the second game in Adelaide, but did not get a chance to bowl with only 4.1 overs possible before rain ruined play.
Heather Knight's side made just one change to the XI that played India in a one-off Test in Bristol last June, with Dean replacing allrounder Georgia Elwiss.
Key quick Anya Shrubsole looked to be under an injury cloud after twisting her ankle playing for Australia A in Adelaide last week, but has sufficiently recovered to take her spot in the England side, picked ahead of uncapped fast bowler Lauren Bell who was added to the squad as cover earlier this week.
Australia enter the Test with a 4-2 lead in the series, and a win in the four-day match will be enough to retain the Ashes, with four points on offer for the winner.
A draw would leave the hosts needing to win one of the three ODIs to keep the trophy, while England would need to win all three ODIs.
Both skippers pledged to take an aggressive approach to the game, although forecast rain could make achieving a result inside four days a difficult ask for either side.
The match is captain Meg Lanning's 150th in charge of Australia, as she becomes just the third woman to reach the milestone across all formats behind England great Charlotte Edwards and current India ODI leader Mithali Raj.
Commonwealth Bank Women's Ashes v England
Australia Ashes squad: Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Stella Campbell, Hannah Darlington, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachael Haynes (vc), Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Meg Lanning (c), Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland
England Ashes squad: Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Maia Bouchier, Katherine Brunt, Kate Cross, Freya Davies, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Tash Farrant, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Nat Sciver (vc), Anya Shrubsole, Mady Villiers, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Danni Wyatt
Australia lead the multi-format series 4-2
Jan 20: Australia won by nine wickets
Jan 22: No Result
Jan 23: Match Abandoned without a ball bowled
Jan 27-30: Test match, Manuka Oval, 10am AEDT,
Feb 3: First ODI, Manuka Oval (D/N), 2.10pm AEDT
Feb 6: Second ODI, Junction Oval, 10.05am AEDT
Feb 8: Third ODI, Junction Oval, 10.05am AEDT