Australia announce 13-man squad for West Indies ODIs; Steve Smith to lead as Pat Cummins is rested
Steve Smith will lead the Australian contingent for the upcoming three-match ODI series against the West Indies, beginning from February 2 onwards. The pace trio of skipper Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc have been rested following their continuous involvement in the red-ball home season, which kickstarted with a three-match series against Pakistan.
The Aussie squad also features a maiden ODI call-up for pacer Lance Morris, who has been on the periphery for quite a while. All-rounder Marcus Stoinis finds himself out of the squad, with his last appearance coming against Bangladesh in the 2023 ODI World Cup. He had to make way in the playing XI for the latter stages of the tournament to accommodate both Glenn Maxwell and Marnus Labuschagne.
In the absence of Stoinis, other pace bowling all-rounders like Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, and Aaron Hardie are part of the squad.
The pace-bowling department, in the absence of the famed trio, also includes Jhye Richardson. The right-arm pacer last played for the country in the away ODI series against Sri Lanka in June 2022 and had injury issues in 2023. He was recently roped in by the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) mini-auction for ₹5 crore.
"It is a little over 12 months until the Champions Trophy and further opportunities for the likes of Aaron Hardie, Matt Short, Jhye Richardson, and Nathan Ellis will be valuable both to our ongoing improvement as a team and also further their personal experiences in ODI cricket," national selector George Bailey said.
"The squad strikes a balance between players continuing to make their mark on international cricket, playing alongside some of our most experienced players with an eye to the future in this format," Bailey added.
It is to be noted that David Warner has announced his retirement from ODIs along with the Test format, but he has left the door ajar for a potential return during the 2025 Champions Trophy should the team need him.
Australia have won 12 out of their last 14 ODIs against the West Indies
West Indies' all-format tour of Australia will kickstart with a two-match Test series as part of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle.
The Windies come into the ODI series as massive underdogs, despite positive outings in the format against India and England at home. West Indies have won only two ODIs against Australia since 2012, with their last ODI win in Australia coming back in 1997.
Australia squad for ODI series against West Indies
Steve Smith, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Matt Short, Adam Zampa.