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For New Zealand Tests: Warner, Johnson back in training for Australia

Squad will include 15 players that were meant to travel to Bangladesh

Agencies October 12, 2015

Warner has not played since breaking his left thumb during Australia’s one-day series in England early last month. PHOTO: AFP

SYDNEY: Injured opener David Warner along with front-line pacemen Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood will join a 19-man Australia squad when it begins preparations for a three-Test home series against New Zealand — starting November 5 — in Sydney on Tuesday.

Cricket Australia said Monday the squad will include the 15 players that were meant to travel to Bangladesh for an aborted two-Test series this month plus Warner, Hazlewood, Johnson and speedster Nathan Coulter-Nile.

Read: Mitchell Johnson joins Australia's 300 club

The tour of Bangladesh was called off over security concerns.

Warner has not played since breaking his left thumb during Australia’s ODI series in England early last month.

After the losing Ashes campaign, fast-bowlers Johnson and Hazlewood were rested from the Bangladesh tour and have not yet played in the interstate one-day cup.

The uncapped Coulter-Nile suffered a hamstring injury during the one-day series against England.

Selector Mark Waugh indicated last week that the anticipated returns of Warner, Johnson and Hazlewood for the New Zealand series would squeeze out some players selected for the Bangladesh tour.

Read: Warner to miss Bangladesh tour with broken thumb

“The squad from Bangladesh, it’s going to look different for New Zealand. There is no doubt about it,” said Waugh.

“Because you didn’t have Warner, Hazlewood and Johnson [in the Bangladesh squad], so that’s three players straight away you’d imagine would come back into the reckoning for the first Test.

“There will be some guys picked for that tour who are probably going to get shuffled back down the order a little bit, but you can’t do anything about it.”

NZ’s Anderson out of Australia tour

All-rounder Corey Anderson has been ruled out of New Zealand’s tour of Australia with a back injury and been replaced by Mitchell Santner, said the team on Monday.

The 24-year-old Anderson suffered the injury on New Zealand’s tour of England and had not recovered sufficiently to shoulder a bowling workload, said selector Gavin Larsen in a statement.

“Corey hasn’t been able to recover as quickly as we hoped and we’ve chosen not to try to rush him back,” said Larsen.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 13^th, 2015.

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