Trevor Hohns says Kurtis Patterson is "desperately unlucky" to miss selection for the Ashes after announcing the St George batsman had been left out of Australia's squad entirely.
Australia announced their 17-man touring party in Southampton last Friday, with the tourists looking to get off to a strong start when the series begins with the first Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham on Thursday.
Sutherland batsman Steve Smith along with David Warner and Cameron Bancroft return to Test cricket for the first time since the now infamous ball-tampering scandal in South Africa in March 2018 which saw Smith stripped of the captaincy.
St George paceman Josh Hazlewood also returns after missing the Test series against Sri Lanka and the World Cup with a back injury.
But it was Patterson who was perhaps the most unfortunate to miss out. The 26-year-old from Hurstville made his Test debut in February, scoring 144 runs at the same average across two innings in two Tests against Sri Lanka including 114 not out in his second knock.
Joe Burns was in the same boat as Patterson having been not just left out of the XI - but the entire squad - despite scoring a century in his last Test innings and the last Test Australia have played.
Patterson's form in the warm up games in England appears to have gone against him, scoring 100 runs at an average of 20 included scores of 2 and 0 in Australia's final tour match that saw the squad essentially split in half and play off against each other in Southampton last week.
Chairman of selectors Hohns said Patterson and Burns were "desperately unlucky" having left them out for Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne and Bancroft who have never scored a Test hundred between them.
"[They are] desperately unlucky, those two fellows. But of course with [Smith, Warner and Bancroft] coming back in there was always going to be a squeeze on," he said.
"We're very comfortable with the form of Marcus Harris, very much so. He's had a wonderful season last year back home. He's been in good form since he's been [in England]. So he probably got the nod ahead over a Burns in that area.
"And the same can be said for the middle order area where Kurtis Patterson operates. We have people like Travis Head in particular who is averaging 50 in Test cricket. And then of course Marnus gives us the option of his batting but also his leg spin bowling."
Australia have not won an Ashes series in the UK since 2001 but they hold the Ashes after thrashing England 4-0 during the home summer series in 2017-18 the last time the teams met.
