Star Aussie bowling trio to sit out of Pak and Bangladesh limited overs tour
Australia has left fast bowlers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood out of its limited overs squads for upcoming tours of Pakistan and Bangladesh later this month.
The trio will miss the three-match series against Pakistan starting May 30, with uncapped all-rounder Liam Scott and Australia Under-19 World Cup captain Ollie Peake earning their first senior international call-ups in a new-look Australian squad.
Young batter Joel Davies is another new face after he was selected for the T20 series against Bangladesh in June.
Travis Head, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis and Xavier Bartlett will travel to Bangladesh once their Indian Premier League commitments are completed, while veteran all-rounder Glenn Maxwell was omitted altogether.
Mitchell Marsh will be the captain across both tours as Australia begins its preparations for the Cricket World Cup to be held in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe in October next year.
Selection chairman George Bailey said the tours presented opportunities for emerging players.
“It’s always exciting to see new players get an opportunity to play international cricket and be a part of the national team,” Bailey said. “The blend of experienced players coupled with new or returning players will provide a nice mix for these subcontinent tours.
“Continuing to provide opportunities for players to develop across a broad range of conditions and experiences is important and will continue to be a focus over the next 18 months to two years.”
Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood are expected to use the break to prepare for Australia’s World Test Championship campaign, which resumes in August in a two-test home series against Bangladesh.
Australia plays Pakistan in three ODIs in Rawalpindi (May 30) and Lahore (June 2 and 4) before traveling to Bangladesh for three ODI games in Dhaka (June 9, 11 and 14) and three T20 Internationals in Chattogram (June 17, 19 and 21).
