Australia has named separate playing squads for the upcoming Test tour of South Africa and the T20 International tour of New Zealand, with selectors dropping Matthew Wade in favour of Alex Carey.
Nineteen players have been named for the squad for the three-Test series against the Proteas, while 18 men have been chosen for the squad for the five-match T20I series against the Black Caps.
Cricket Australia has agreed to concurrent overseas tours in a bid to keep international cricket going amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
National selector Trevor Hohns said the South African series was deemed important enough to go with a first-choice squad, even though the series is not yet confirmed to go ahead.
“The squad is quite similar to that selected for the final two Tests of the recently-completed Border-Gavaskar series, with the exception of Matt Wade, who will join the Australian men’s T20I squad in New Zealand, and the addition of Alex Carey, who has been in strong form with both bat and gloves,” said Hohns.
“David Warner, Will Pucovski and Marcus Harris all opened at different stages against India and should be well-suited to the conditions in South Africa.
“Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith were in good form during the Australian summer and Travis Head has an opportunity to reclaim the number five spot.”
Head was dropped for Pucovski for the third Test against India at the SCG and failed to earn a recall in Brisbane even after Pucovski’s shoulder injury ruled him out at the Gabba.
In the squad announcement, Cricket Australia’s executive general manager of national teams Ben Oliver praised skipper Tim Paine, who came under criticism after Australia’s failure to finish off the last two Tests against an under-strength Indian team.
“Tim Paine has been an outstanding captain since taking over the Australian men’s Test team in incredibly difficult circumstances,” Oliver said.
“Tim has the support of the team, the coach and everyone else at Cricket Australia and the result of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series has done nothing to diminish that.”
Selectors have used the five-game series against New Zealand as an opportunity to promote a number of the stand-out performers from this season’s Big Bash, as Australia prepares for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup which is scheduled for October/November in India.
The Sydney Sixers wicketkeeper-batsman Josh Philippe, the Hobart Hurricanes’ big-hitter Ben McDermott and Sydney Thunder leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha have all been named in the T20I squad.
Test squad:
Tim Paine (C), Pat Cummins (VC), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner.
T20I squad:
Aaron Finch (C), Matthew Wade (VC), Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Daniel Sams, Tanveer Sangha, D’Arcy Short, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.
More to come.
