Key Points

Sean Abbott may finally make his Test debut for Australia in the upcoming West Indies series. The 33-year-old replaces injured reserve bowler Brendan Doggett ahead of the Barbados opener. Steve Smith's participation remains uncertain after his gruesome finger dislocation in the WTC final. The tour features three Tests, including West Indies' first-ever day-night match in Jamaica.

Key Points: Sean Abbott Eyes Test Debut in Australia's West Indies Tour

  • Sean Abbott replaces injured Brendan Doggett in Australia's Test squad
  • Abbott has 59 wickets in white-ball cricket but awaits Test debut
  • Steve Smith's finger injury casts doubt on his availability
  • West Indies to host historic day-night Test in Jamaica
2 min read

Potential Test debut on cards for Abbott during Australia's West Indies tour

Australia's Sean Abbott could earn his Test cap against West Indies as Steve Smith battles a finger injury ahead of the WTC series opener.

"It just split the skin and dislocated it, which made me feel pretty ill at that stage. - Steve Smith"

Melbourne, June 16

Pacer Sean Abbott has been called up to Australia's squad for their Test series against the West Indies, kickstarting on June 25 in Barbados as part of the new World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle.

The 33-year-old quick is a replacement for Brendan Doggett, who is ruled out due to a minor hip injury. Doggett was a travelling reserve for the World Test Championship Final, and will now return back home, as per the ICC.

Having played 28 ODIs and 20 T20Is for Australia and taken a total of 59 scalps, Abbott has yet to make his Test debut, though he was part of the red-ball group that toured Sri Lanka earlier this year and on home soil during the Border-Gavaskar Test series.

Australia is taking the flight to Barbados for the first of three Tests, followed by matches in Grenada (July 3) and Jamaica (July 12), the latter being the West Indies' first-ever day-night Test match.

The side is also sweating on the status of Steve Smith, who faced a compound finger dislocation suffered on the third day at Lord's WTC final, leaving his status for the first Test under doubt. Despite the sickening blow, Smith avoided a break in the bone, which would likely have required surgery, and may be able to play on with a splint as part of his recovery.

"It just split the skin and dislocated it, which made me feel pretty ill at that stage," Smith said after the defeat to South Africa as quoted by the ICC.

"I think I am in a splint for eight weeks now and may be able to play with it in a couple of weeks, so it will depend on my functionality and what I am able to do, but it is probably the best result I could have hoped for," he added.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
Finally Abbott gets his chance! He's been performing consistently in domestic cricket for years. Though at 33, he's getting this opportunity quite late in his career. Hope he makes the most of it against WI's strong batting lineup. 🤞
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Priya M.
Interesting selection. Australia's pace battery is already so strong - Cummins, Hazlewood, Starc. Where will Abbott fit in? Maybe they're looking to manage workloads with WTC in mind. Good luck to him though!
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Arjun S.
Smith's injury sounds painful! 😬 Hope he recovers soon. The way he was batting in WTC final, Australia will need him against West Indies. Their batting looks shaky without him.
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Sanjana R.
First day-night Test in Jamaica - that's exciting! West Indies have been improving lately. Hope they give Australia a tough fight. Would love to see more competitive Test cricket outside the big 3 nations.
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Vikram J.
Abbott is a decent bowler but at 33, is this really investing in future? Australia should give chances to younger pacers. Their bench strength is amazing though - even reserves like Doggett are quality.
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Neha P.
As an Indian fan, it's good to see other teams also managing transition phases. We went through ours recently. Australia's system keeps producing quality players - Abbott is proof. Hope he gets his baggy green! 🇦🇺

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