Australia announces 21-man squad for limited-overs tour to England
Australia are all set to resume international cricket with a short limited-overs tour to England this summer. The series, comprising of 3 ODIs and 3 T20s was originally slated for July. However, it will now be played from September 4th till September 16th, behind closed doors and within a strict bio-secure bubble.
Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, and Nathan Lyon have been recalled to the Australian ODI set up for the series. In addition, there have been maiden call-ups for Big Bash League stars Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe and Daniel Sams.
Australia last featured in a bilateral contest back in March in an ODI against New Zealand. International tours since then have been postponed or suspended indefinitely in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
The Australian government has granted exemptions for outbound travel for the touring squad in what will be the first international tour undertaken by an Australian national sporting team since the pandemic struck.
Southampton and Old Trafford will play host to Australia
The T20I series will be played at Southampton's Ageas Bowl while the ODIs are set to be hosted by Old Trafford. Both these venues have already hosted cricket amidst the pandemic with Pakistan, Ireland and West Indies all featuring.
The venues were chosen for their suitability to accommodate teams in a bio-secure bubble, given the availability of on-site hotels.
Recently, Australia had postponed a home T20 series against West Indies that was slated for October. There were speculations that Australia might not play any international cricket till their home campaign against India in November-December. But all that talk has been put to rest with the announcement of the series limited-overs tour of England.
This series's announcement also means England will have hosted all its intended men’s international cricket series this summer – a remarkable feat given the widespread disruption to the sport courtesy COVID-19.
Australia's T20 and ODI squads: Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Daniel Sams, Kane Richardson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Australia's tour of England, 2020 schedule
September 4: 1st T20, Ageas Bowl, Southampton
September 6: 2nd T20, Ageas Bowl, Southampton
September 8: 3rd T20, Ageas Bowl, Southampton
September 11: 1st ODI, Old Trafford, Manchester
September 13: 2nd ODI, Old Trafford, Manchester
September 16: 3rd ODI, Old Trafford, Manchester