The T20 World Cup is past and all the teams are now concentrating on their future program. In September, they will play the T20 series against Scotland and England. Before that, they announced the squad. Perth Scorchers all-rounder Cooper Connolly has received his first T20I call-up for the Baggy Greens. Jake Fraser-McGurk is included in both the T20I and ODI squads as selectors begin to focus on future prospects.
Connolly’s Maiden Call Up for Baggy Greens:
Perth Scorchers all-rounder Cooper Connolly has earned his first T20I call-up for the Baggy Greens. The left-hander has only played in 15 domestic T20 matches. He made a significant impact in the 2022-23 final, helping the Perth Scorchers secure the title with his impressive performance.
Connolly strikes at 145.80 and also offers a useful left-arm spin option. Earlier this year, he made 90 runs on his Sheffield Shield debut, in the final, showcasing his potential and skill. His versatile abilities make him a valuable addition to the team as selectors look towards future prospects.
While talking about this, Bailey said, “We haven’t had that many bolters for a little while. He’s an exciting young talent. Hasn’t played a great many games yet, but we really like his versatility, his work through the middle order for the Scorchers has been really impressive. Handy left-arm spin as well which as a secondary skill is something we are really keen to keep exploring and see where that goes with his cricket.”
Cummins Has Been Rested:Â
Pat Cummins is rested from the entire tour ahead of the home summer after featuring in consecutive series. Currently playing in MLC, Cummins’ absence was planned for around 12 months. Bailey mentioned this decision was made to manage Cummins’ workload in preparation for the condensed schedule of the upcoming home summer.
Bailey said, “He’s got a couple of things he wants to work on physically. He’s had a lot of cricket over the past period and this is an opportunity to get on top of those and set him up for the next period of time, it’s more a management of that.
Later he added, “The MLC opportunity came reasonably late, [and] as far as the plan went it’s an extra 18 or 19 days that he’s up for, [so] it doesn’t fundamentally change the plan we had for him.”
McGurk’s Inclusion:
Fraser-McGurk’s inclusion was anticipated, giving him a chance to succeed Warner at the top of the order in limited-overs formats. Although he hasn’t debuted in T20I, he played two ODIs against West Indies last season. Alex Carey returns to the ODI squad as Inglis’ understudy after losing his spot during last year’s World Cup.
The Baggy Greens will play three T20Is against Scotland on September 4, 6, and 7. Later in the month, Australia will face England in three T20Is starting on September 11, followed by five ODIs.
Australia’s T20 Squad for the T20 Series Against Scotland and England: Mitchell Marsh (c), 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’s ODI Squad Against England: Mitchell Marsh (c), 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
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