BACK AT IT
Mitchell Starc missed the ODI series against South Africa. © Getty
Mitchell Starc returns to the Australian ODI set-up for the three-match series against India starting on October 19 in Perth. Alongside the ace fast-bowler, Matthew Short and Mitchell Owen too return to a 15-man squad following recoveries from a side strain and concussion respectively while Matthew Renshaw too has been called up.
Mitchell Marsh will continue to skipper the side with Pat Cummins having opted out of this white-ball assignment in order to work his way to fitness for the start of the Ashes series on November 21.
Cricket Australia have also announced the squad for the first two games of the five-match T20I series which will be played from October 29 to November 8 in preparation for the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup in 2026.
Australia ODI Squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Renshaw, Matthew Short, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa
Australia T20I squad (first two games): Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.
This will be Starc’s first assignment of the season having sat out the South Africa series as he looks to manage his workload for this summer’s Ashes series. He has already retired from T20I cricket.
There are several outgoing players from the ODI squad. These include Marnus Labuschagne, Sean Abbott, Aaron Hardie and Matthew Kuhnemann who were all part of Australia’s previous ODI assignment against South Africa in August, this year.
Alex Carey will miss the first ODI in Perth as he will be playing for the South Australian Redbacks in the Sheffield Shield against Queensland but will return for the last two ODIs while Renshaw has returned to the ODI set up for the first time since 2022, following prolific performances for Australia A and Queensland.
The rest of the squad includes Travis Head and Josh Inglis along with the all-round trio of Cooper Connolly, Cameron Green and captain Marsh. The pacers consist of Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Ellis, Xavier Bartlett and Ben Dwarshuis alongside Starc with Bartlett and Dwarshuis pakcing a punch with the bat lower down the order. Adam Zampa is the lone frontline spinner in the squad.
Following the ODI series, Green will return to represent Western Australia in preparation for the upcoming Ashes.
Inglis and Ellis return to the T20I squad, Maxwell still out
Josh Inglis and Nathan Ellis return to the T20I squad, the former following his calf injury while the latter missed the Chappell-Hadlee series for the birth of his first child. However, Glenn Maxwell who suffered a freak injury to his wrist in nets before that series has not recovered in time for the India assignment.
Josh Phillipe and Alex Carey are the players to miss out from the previous T20I assignment against New Zealand with Inglis expected to take the gloves behind the stumps.
A power-packed batting lineup consists of Head, Marsh, Tim David, Inglis, Short and Owen while Stoinis keeps his place with Maxwell still injured. Dwarshuis, Bartlett, Hazlewood, Ellis form the fulcrum of the pacers with Matthew Kuhnemann and Zampa the spinners for Australia.
“We have named a squad for the ODI series and first two games of the T20 series as there will be some management through the back end of the series as individuals prepare for the summer through Sheffield Shield cricket,” said selection committee chair George Bailey.
“The majority of the T20 squad will remain together as it’s an important period in the build towards the World Cup next year, however we are trying to strike a balance to ensure we simultaneously prepare certain individuals for the Test series ahead.”
© Cricbuzz
