Australia suffer major blow after WTC Final heartbreak as key player ruled out of West Indies Tests

The Australia National Cricket Team has suffered a major setback after losing the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 (WTC Final 2025) to South Africa at Lord’s on June 14. The Pat Cummins-led Australia team suffered a five-wicket defeat to slip the ICC trophy to South Africa after 27 years.

Following the crushing WTC Final loss to the Proteas side, the Australia National Cricket Team was forced to make a late change to their Test squad for the upcoming West Indies tour. They are set to face the West Indies side in a three-match Test series, starting on June 25.

Brendan Doggett out, Sean Abbott in for Australia's tour of the West Indies

Fast bowler Brendan Doggett has been ruled out of the upcoming three-match Test series between the West Indies and the Australian team due to a minor hip injury.

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Brendan Doggett was set to make his Test debut on the Caribbean tour after a brilliant performance in first-class cricket, where he has 177 wickets in just 48 games to his name so far.

Now, in his place, experienced pacer Sean Abbott has been called up to the squad for the West Indies tour. Abbott can now finally make his long-awaited Test debut in the Caribbean after representing Australia in 48 international games so far.

Breaking: A forced change for Australia's squad to the West Indies. Fast bowler Brendan Doggett is out with a minor hip complaint, and Sean Abbott is in. Legitimate chance for Abbott to make a Test debut in the Caribbean @codecricketau

— Ben Horne (@BenHorne8) June 15, 2025

Updated Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster

Sean Abbott set for Test debut on Caribbean tour

With strong performances in domestic cricket and white-ball cricket, the right-arm seamer now has a real chance to wear the Baggy Green in the upcoming Test series, which will be followed by a five-match T20I series between the Kangaroos and the Men in Maroon.

The 33-year-old fast bowler has impressive numbers in first-class cricket, taking 267 wickets in 88 games at an impressive average of 30.29 and economy rate of 3.11. Abbott already has 33 wickets in 28 ODIs and 26 wickets in 20 T20Is to his name so far, and now he is in line to sport whites for Australia.

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Meanwhile, Australia’s batting mainstay Steve Smith will miss the first Test against the West Indies in Barbados and could be ruled out for the entire three-match Test series after injuring his right little finger while fielding during the WTC Final 2025 against South Africa at Lord’s.

Andrew McDonald hints at Travis Head opening in the West Indies

Considering Smith’s injury, Australia might use Travis Head as a surprise opening batter during their Test series in the West Indies, depending on the conditions. However, the head coach, Andrew McDonald, hinted at this flexible approach, especially if the pitches favor spin.

With Nathan Lyon and Matt Kuhnemann in the squad, a twin-spin attack could be on the cards, which may lead to changes in the batting order. McDonald stressed that the focus remains on picking the best six batters, even if that means shifting roles based on the pitch and venues.

We’re being flexible around our options: Andrew McDonald

Andrew McDonald was quoted as saying by Fox Cricket, “It’s always a combination, and the connection between each series and the surfaces that you play on can be quite different. We’ve seen that in Sri Lanka around opening the batting with Travis Head on slower surfaces. What are we going to get in the Caribbean? We haven’t been there since 2016, so there’s a little bit of the unknown, but we feel as though we have got a squad that can cover all bases.”

McDonald further added, “Will we get spinning conditions? We’ve got two spinners in the squad, so do we shift into our sort of spin lineup in terms of the way that we play? And that goes for the batting order as well. I’d like to think that we’re being flexible around our options in the batting order. Other people are judging that and saying that’s unsettling.”