No David Warner, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Glenn Maxwell in Australia's white-ball squad for Pakistan tour
Australia's white-ball bench strength will be tested during the upcoming ODI series and a standalone T20I in Pakistan. That's because they will be without the services of opener David Warner, all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and the superstar pace trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
Chief selector George Bailey announced a 15-man squad for the five ODIs and a one-off T20I, starting in Rawalpindi on March 29.
Warner, Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins will tour Pakistan for the three-match Test series which will precede the white-ball leg of the tourists' historic tour. However, the quartet has been rested for the limited-overs internationals. Glenn Maxwell, meanwhile, has been granted leave due to the Victorian's impending marriage.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Bailey termed the white-ball squad as 'talented and versatile'. He said:
"We have picked a talented and versatile squad with a number of challenges to juggle, including the tour structure of predominantly 50-over games, management of several multi-format players in the medium to long term; and our need to build experience and depth in preparation for two short-form World Cups within the next 18 months,"
JUST IN: Australia have named their squad for the white-ball matches in Pakistan #PAKvAUS
The ODI series and the one-off T20I will be played in Rawalpindi between March 29 and April 05.
Cricket Australia will not release IPL-bound players despite not playing white-ball leg
Despite Warner, Cummins and Hazlewood not featuring in the white-ball leg of the tour, Cricket Australia will not release them for the 15th season of the IPL, which is set to overlap with the series.
This is because, as CA-contracted players, their annual leave starts on April 06, and the No Objection Certificates have been issued for all contracted players from that date only.
David Warner, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitch Starc and Glenn Maxwell will all miss the ODIs & T20I in Pakistan.
The white-ball matches will be played around the same time the IPL starts, but CA will not release these players until the Pakistan tour is over.
#PAKvAUS #IPL
Last week, Warner, Cummins and Hazlewood bagged gigs with the Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders and the Royal Challengers Bangalore respectively. Meanwhile, Maxwell was retained by the Bangalore franchise.
Meanwhile, the absence of Warner at the top of the order means Ben McDermott will get another crack at nailing a permanent spot in Australia's white-ball XIs.
Matthew Wade will not be travelling to Pakistan, as there is only one T20I to be played. That will open up a spot for Jos Inglis, who will look to make a mark in the left-hander's absence. Alex Carey will perform the wicketkeeping duties in the ODI series.
Bailey expressed confidence in the squad despite the absence of senior players.
"We're confident the squad can both compete successfully on this tour and continue our progress towards those crucial tournaments." Bailey said.
Australia have won their last three ODI series, and the Aaron Finch-led unit will look to make it four in a row next month.
Australia's ODI & T20I squad for Pakistan tour
Aaron Finch (c), Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey (WK), Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa, Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Ashton Agar, Josh Inglis (WK), Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Ellis, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson.