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Cricket Australia on Tuesday announced squads for the upcoming ODI and Test series. The selectors have shown faith in the squad that delivered a 4-0 Ashes triumph last summer for the two-match Test series against West Indies.
Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson and Mitchell Swepson are the only three names missing from Australia’s expanded Ashes group.
Despite their early exit from the ongoing T20 World Cup, it is unlikely that all-format players – Pat Cummins, David Warner, Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood – will get an opportunity to play any red-ball game prior to the opening Test in Perth
Australia squad for West Indies Tests: Pat Cummins (c), David Warner, Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc.
Travis Head to open the innings in ODIs
With the retirement of former skipper Aaron Finch, Australia will see Travis Head pairing up with Warner at the top, a union that should continue through to the next ODI World Cup taking place in India next year.
Head has been pretty successful as an opener in one-day cricket in recent times. He averages 58.30 in List A matches since the start of 2019 with five hundreds to his name. He has every possible chance to leave behind the likes of Ben McDermott and Joshua Philippe for Finch’s vacant position.
The three-match home series against England, starting next week, will be Cummins first as full time captain. His appointment was done thinking in mind that he will be unlikely to feature in every series given the jam-packed international schedule, yet there were no notable absentees from Australia’s 14-man ODI squad picked to take part in games to be held in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.
Australia squad for England ODIs: Pat Cummins (c), Travis Head, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Ashton Agar, Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.
