Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood set to miss Pakistan and Bangladesh tour
The trio will miss the three-match series against Pakistan starting May 30
Sydney: Australia has rested its premier pace trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood for the upcoming limited-overs tours of Pakistan and Bangladesh, opting to manage their workloads following a gruelling Indian Premier League season.
The decision opens the door for fresh talent even as Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood use the break to prepare for Australia’s World Test Championship campaign, which resumes in August with a two-match home Test series against Bangladesh.
The trio will miss the three-match series against Pakistan starting May 30, with uncapped all-rounder Liam Scott and Australia Under-19 World Cup captain Ollie Peake earning their first senior international call-ups in a new-look Australian squad.
The IPL concludes on May 31.
Young batter Joel Davies is another new face after he was selected for the T20 series against Bangladesh in June.
Travis Head, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis and Xavier Bartlett, who are all involved in the ongoing IPL with various franchises, will, however, travel to Bangladesh once their commitments in India are completed, while veteran all-rounder Glenn Maxwell was omitted altogether.
Mitchell Marsh will be the captain across both tours as Australia begins their preparations for the ODI World Cup to be held in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe in October next year.
Australian selection panel chairman George Bailey said the tours presented opportunities for emerging players.
“It’s always exciting to see new players get an opportunity to play international cricket and be a part of the national team,” Bailey said.
“The blend of experienced players coupled with new or returning players will provide a nice mix for these subcontinent tours.
“Continuing to provide opportunities for players to develop across a broad range of conditions and experiences is important and will continue to be a focus over the next 18 months to two years.”
Australia play Pakistan in three ODIs in Rawalpindi (May 30) and Lahore (June 2 and 4) before travelling to Bangladesh for three ODI games in Dhaka (June 9, 11 and 14) and three T20 Internationals in Chattogram (June 17, 19 and 21).
Australia ODI squad for Pakistan: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Riley Meredith, Ollie Peake, Matthew Renshaw, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Matthew Short, Billy Stanlake, Adam Zampa.
Australia ODI squad for Bangladesh: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Renshaw, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Adam Zampa.
Australia T20 squad for Bangladesh: Mitchell Marsh?(captain), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Adam Zampa.
