Melbourne [Australia], July 15 (ANI): Australia announced their T20I squad for their upcoming series against Scotland and England, with Perth Scorchers all-rounder Cooper Connolly earning his maiden T20I call-up for the Baggy Greens.
The post-David Warner era has begun for Australia, and a new opening pair will take the field for their white-ball series against Scotland and England.
The Baggy Greens will play a three-match T20I series against Scotland in September. Australia will also play three T20Is and five ODIs against England later in the month.
The three T20Is against Scotland will be played on September 4, 6, and 7, and the England T20I series will begin on September 11.
In Warner’s place, Jake Fraser-McGurk has been included in the T20I squads for both series and in the ODI squad against England. Fraser-McGurk will look to establish himself as a long-term opening alternative for Australia.
Connolly has featured in 15 domestic T20s. He starred for Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League 2022-23 final with his quick-fire 25* off 11 deliveries. In his Sheffield Shield debut, he scored 90 against Tasmania earlier this year.
Mithcell Marsh will lead the side in the absence of Pat Cummins, who has been rested. Cummins is currently involved in the ongoing Major League Cricket with the San Francisco Unicorns.
The experienced duo of Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell will also miss the T20I series but will link up with the squad for the ODI series against England.
Matthew Short, who travelled with Australia’s T20 World Cup squad as a reserve player, will miss out on the T20I tour due to the birth of his first child.
“This tour gives us a great opportunity to bring in some new players in the absence of David Warner and Matthew Wade, as well as giving some senior players time to prepare for the home summer and a busy first half of next year. We are particularly pleased to offer Cooper his first opportunity in the T20 squad, having introduced the likes of Jake, Spencer, Xavier and Aaron in the past 12 months. They are exciting prospects to join the likes of Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis and Josh Inglis in the white-ball set-up,” national selector George Bailey said in a statement by Cricket Australia.
With the ICC Champions Trophy almost seven months away, Australia will try to find the right balance within the ODI team.
“With the Champions Trophy on our doorstep early next year, the white-ball series against Pakistan leading into the summer and a huge home Test series against India, there has been a lot of planning invested into these next six months. That has included gradual integration of new players into our white-ball squads who have earned international opportunities via excellent form in Big Bash or state cricket,” he added.
Australia T20I squad for Scotland and England: Mitchell Marsh (capt), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Spencer Johnson, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa
Australia ODI squad for England: Mitchell Marsh (capt), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis (wk), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa. (ANI)
