Fraser-McGurk and Bartlett bound for the Caribbean ahead of the T20Is
Australia have called up big-hitting top-order bat Jake Fraser-McGurk and paceman Xavier Bartlett for the five-match T20I leg of their current Caribbean tour.
The pair will replace quicks Josh Hazlewood, who is heading home after playing four Tests in quick succession, and Spencer Johnson, who hasn’t played since the Indian Premier League and continues to recover from a back issue.
After exploding in the 2024 edition of the IPL, Fraser-McGurk rocketed into the national T20I set-up last September, playing seven matches for a top score of 50.
He has also played seven ODIs without reaching fifty, and it was a lack of runs that put the brakes on the right-hander’s meteoric rise.
Bartlett meanwhile has barely put a foot wrong in his nine internationals to date, collecting 22 wickets and impressing with his outswing and excellent control.
The Queensland right-armer was playing alongside Fraser-McGurk for San Francisco in the recently-concluded Major League Cricket tournament in the US, and both players will likely see this upcoming series against West Indies as their opportunity to return consistently to national colours, having not played international cricket since last November.
Hazlewood, who has missed Tests through injury in three of the past four home summers, will return to Sydney and ready himself for next month’s white-ball series against South Africa.
Qantas Tour of the West Indies
First Test: Australia won by 159 runs
Second Test: Australia won by 133 runs
Third Test: July 12-16, Kingston, Jamaica (4.30am AEST)
Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster
West Indies Test squad: Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican (vc), Kevlon Anderson, Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Johann Layne, Mikyle Louis, Anderson Phillip, Jayden Seales
First T20I: July 20, Kingston, Jamaica (July 21, 11am AEST)
Second T20I: July 22, Kingston, Jamaica (July 23, 11am AEST)
Third T20I: July 25, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 26, 9am AEST)
Fourth T20I: July 26, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 27, 9am AEST)
Fifth T20I: July 28, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 29, 9am AEST)
West Indies T20 squad: TBC
Australia’s T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshius, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa
