Australia have left several senior players out of their squads for upcoming home white-ball matches against England, with Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood all omitted as the team turns its attention to the ICC World Test Championship series against New Zealand and India.
The two sides meet in eight white-ball fixtures, three ODIs and five T20Is, beginning on 13 November. Nathan Ellis will miss the ODI component, which starts in Perth, as he recovers from a side strain sustained against South Africa in September. The squads for the eight matches feature a number of fresh faces.
Former ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup stars Mahli Beardman and Oliver Peake are in the 14-player ODI squad, alongside young all-rounders Jack Edwards and Liam Scott. Nikhil Chaudhary, Joel Davies, Lachlan Shaw and Sam Harper are among the newcomers in the T20I squad.
Travis Head, Matthew Renshaw, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis and Cooper Connolly will all play the ODIs but skip the T20I component, which opens up places for new players in the shorter format.
Australia selection chair George Bailey said the matches offer players who have had opportunities on recent tours a chance to show their ability against very strong opposition.
“These ODI and T20 matches provide several players, many of whom have had opportunities on recent tours, with a great chance to further demonstrate their ability against very strong opposition,” Bailey said.
Bailey praised Scott, who returns to the ODI squad, saying the selectors had seen him grow his game over the past 12 to 18 months. He also highlighted Beardman’s recent form for Australia A, saying the selectors were excited by his return to the national team in both formats and his potential to develop into an all-format player.
Bailey described Shaw as a highly talented cricketer with a powerful game that will have an impact in T20 cricket. He said Harper had performed strongly in domestic cricket and was executing his style of play consistently across all formats.
Bailey also welcomed back Jake Fraser-McGurk and Mitch Owen to the T20 side, saying their ball-striking could be a point of difference in the shorter formats. He added that both had used earlier international experiences to keep working on their games.
Fixtures
The ODI series opens in Perth on 13 November, before moving to Adelaide on 15 November and concluding in Hobart on 18 November.
The T20I series begins in Melbourne on 21 November, followed by matches in Gold Coast on 24 November, Brisbane on 27 November, Sydney on 29 November and Canberra on 2 December.
Australia squads
ODI squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Mahli Beardman, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Jack Edwards, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Oliver Peake, Matthew Renshaw, Liam Scott, Adam Zampa.
T20I squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Mahli Beardman, Nikhil Chaudhary, Tim David, Joel Davies, Jack Edwards, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sam Harper, Spencer Johnson, Mitch Owen, Lachlan Shaw, Adam Zampa.