Mitchell Marsh to captain Australia in Scotland and England as Pat Cummins is rested; uncapped Cooper Connolly bolts into T20I squad
Mitchell Marsh will captain Australia in both T20Is and ODIs during their upcoming tours of Scotland and England as the selectors have rested Pat Cummins from the 11-game visit. Aggressive opener Jake Fraser-McGurk is all set to fill David Warner's shoes in the top order, while 20-year-old Cooper Connolly has received a crack at the national team.
Connolly, who plays for the Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League (BBL), had a promising season last year. The left-hander finished with 181 runs in 11 matches and maintained a strike rate of well over 130. Connolly is likely to play as a finisher if selected in the playing XI in any of the matches.
Matthew Wade and Ashton Agar missed out on the squad, with Josh Inglis set to take the keeping gloves. Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell will also miss the T20Is against England and Scotland as the selectors look to manage their workload. However, they will feature in the 50-over games. Joining them for the ODIs will also be the likes of Matthew Short, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey, and Sean Abbott.
Australia T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.
Australia ODI squad: Mitch Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.
Australia's chief selector earmarks next 6 months as critical as they look to integrate new players
Meanwhile, Australia's chief selector George Bailey addressed the selections, saying the absence of Matthew Wade and David Warner is a brilliant opportunity to blood new faces. He believes the likes of Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Spencer Johnson, and Aaron Hardie will headline their setup soon. Bailey said, as quoted by cricket.com.au:
"This tour gives us a great opportunity to bring in some new players in the absence of David Warner and Matthew Wade, as well as giving some senior players time to prepare for the home summer and a busy first half of next year."
"We are particularly pleased to offer Cooper his first opportunity in the T20 squad having introduced the likes of Jake, Spencer, Xavier and Aaron in the past 12 months. They are exciting prospects to join the likes of Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis and Josh Inglis in the white-ball setup," he added.
Australia's three-game ODI series in Scotland will be in Edinburgh on September 4, 6, and 7. The T20 series against England kicks off on September 13, while the 50-over fixtures get underway on the 19th.