The Cricket Australia (CA) on Friday (August 14) announced the confirmation of men’s limited-overs tour of England that will be played next month under bio-secure environment. It will be the first international project for the Australian cricket team since their ODI game against New Zealand in March early this year.
The tour of England features three ODIs and as many T20 matches. It was supposed to take place in the month of July. But the trip was postponed due to the ongoing global pandemic.
A trio of young Big Bash stars Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe and Daniel Sams have been included in the 21-member squad. Apart from three uncapped players, Glenn Maxwell, Nathan Lyon, Andrew Tye and Marcus Stoinis have made their return to the team. While Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Michael Neser, D’Arcy Short and Ben McDermott missed out to feature in the 21-member list.
CA received government exemptions for the squad to travel to the UK earlier this week.
Before kicking-off the white-ball series, the Aussies will play four warm-up games in Derby. After which, the Aaron Finch-led side will meet England for T20Is in Southampton and ODIs in Manchester.
Also, those Australian players who will not take part in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL), which begins from September 19 in the UAE, will be quarantined for two weeks when they return home.
The England vs Australia ODIs will be a part of the International Cricket Council’s new ODI Super League, which began by the English team’s recent series against Ireland.
“It’s a squad with great depth and a sprinkle of some exceptional young players. We are very excited by these young players who we believe are all capable of playing a role in the Australian setup in coming years,” said National Selection Panel chair Trevor Hohns.
“We have decided to return to the traditional captain and one vice-captain set up. Alex remains a genuine leader within the squad and will continue to provide valuable support to Aaron as skipper. Pat is very much in the same category and someone the entire team has immense respect for as a person and a player,” he added.
“This is not a reflection of succession planning, but rather a decision to return to the traditional leadership setup that has served Australian cricket so well for generations,” Hohns added further.
Here is Australia’s T20 and ODI squad:
Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Daniel Sams, Kane Richardson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.
