Australia will continue to rotate their players as they search for the best combination to defend their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title on home soil.
A host of veteran players will skip the first match of Australia’s vital three-game T20I series against England in Perth on Sunday and re-join the squad for the second clash against their old rival in Canberra on October 12. The star players of Australia, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Glenn Maxwell will miss the series first match against England and will instead stay on the east coast of Australia following the second match of their ongoing series against the West Indies, before joining the team with the remainder of the squad in Canberra.
It means Marcus Stoinis, Kane Richardson, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Swepson and Nathan Ellis all received a recall for the series against England and are likely to play in Perth while young all-rounder Cameron Green will once again get the chance to push his T20 World Cup credentials after he was also named in the squad to take on the Ashes rival.
Australia have plenty of options ahead of their T20 World Cup defence and chair of selectors George Bailey said it was vital for his team to be fresh heading into the four-week event that starts later this month.
“The high-performance team and selectors have planned these matches to ensure our squad get to the World Cup fresh and ready to perform,” Bailey said.
“Some squad members travelled to Perth early to begin preparations slightly earlier than the main squad and a handful of others will not make the trip to Perth. With some players remaining on the east coast, it provides further opportunity for Nathan Ellis and Daniel Sams who both performed well in India,” he added.
“Likewise Mitchell Swepson was a part of last year’s World Cup squad and continues to provide good depth in our T20 spin bowling department,” Bailey said.
Australia squad for England in Perth: Aaron Finch, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Cameron Green, Steven Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Josh Inglis, Daniel Sams, Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Swepson, Nathan Ellis and Kane Richardson.
Australia squad for England in Canberra: Aaron Finch, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Cameron Green, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Josh Inglis, Daniel Sams, Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson. (ANI)
