Hussey selects his Test squad for SA

Champion Test batsman Mike Hussey has put on his selectors’ cap on and chosen a 15-man squad for the four-Test tour of South Africa, a group that includes Western Australia allrounder Marcus Stoinis.

Hussey showed faith in the 13 players that regained the Magellan Ashes this summer, plus left-arm spinner Ashton Agar, who was added to the Test squad for the final match in Sydney.

But should there be a need for an extra pace bowler, Hussey is willing to swap Agar for uncapped WA speedster Jhye Richardson, who is set to make his international debut in the five-match Gillette ODI Series against England later this month.

Stoinis is the extra player Hussey would take to South Africa, a back-up allrounder should incumbent Mitchell Marsh be felled by injury.

"He’s a good batsman, he’s played some excellent innings in one-day cricket for Australia and that might be a nice stepping stone for him to come up in the Test arena," Hussey told cricket.com.au.

"He can really help out with the ball, can provide some competition for Mitch Marsh in the team and is handy to help out in both disciplines."

Stoinis played only three JLT Sheffield Shield matches at the start of the summer due to the tragic passing of his father, but the 28-year-old already has an impressive one-day international career behind him and has been selected in Australia’s 14-man squad for the ODI series against England.

There is no room for Glenn Maxwell in Hussey’s squad despite having scored 590 runs in five Shield matches this summer after being dropped for the Ashes.

"He has done exactly what the selectors have required of him," Hussey said.

"He’s gone back to Victoria and scored a lot of runs and I just feel like he’s unlucky not to be on the plane but Peter Handscomb is probably just ahead of him as the back-up batsman at this stage."

Hussey stuck firm with under-fire batsmen Cameron Bancroft and Usman Khawaja, the former who was out for a duck on day two of the fifth Test.

"I’m going to back Cameron Bancroft in," Hussey said.

"There’s been a lot of talk about his form in the Ashes series.

"Someone like Joe Burns has done really well, Matt Renshaw is waiting in the wings.

"But I’m going to stick with the guy who’s in there for this series."

Handscomb and Bancroft will act as reserve wicketkeepers in the squad if Tim Paine is forced to miss a game.

The first Test will begin on March 1 in Durban.

Mike Hussey’s Australia squad to tour South Africa: David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith (c), Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Pat Cummins, Mitch Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Peter Handscomb, Jackson Bird, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Agar/Jhye Richardson