Pat Cummins to lead Australia in ODI series against India, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Starc also return
Cricket Australia have named a full-strength squad for the three-game ODI series against India, starting on September 22, with Pat Cummins returning to the fold to lead the tourists. Australia have also included the likes of Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Starc, who were ruled out of the South Africa tour due to injuries.
Travis Head's exclusion from the series has been a massive setback ahead of the 2023 World Cup. The left-hander sustained a wrist injury during the fourth ODI against South Africa at Centurion and walked off midway without returning to bat later. Matthew Short, who delivered promising returns in the T20I series against the Proteas, has earned selection.
Cricket Australia issued a statement regarding Head's injury, which read:
"Head will undertake further medical review on return to Australia before a return to play schedule is determined."
Marnus Labuschagne, who made two notable scores in the ongoing ODI series in South Africa, has also earned his place in the squad. However, it remains to be seen whether the right-hander sneaks into the World Cup fold should he perform well in India.
While Adam Zampa remains the frontline spinner, Tanveer Sangha has retained his spot along with Nathan Ellis and Spencer Johnson. Left-arm spinner Ashton Agar will miss the leg due to the birth of his first child. The selectors announced the 15-man provisional squad last month and have also finalized it.
However, they still have until September 28th to make changes. The first ODI starts on September 22 in Mohali, while Indore and Rajkot will host the second and third game on September 24 and 27 respectively.
Australia's squad for three-match ODI series against India:
Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa.
The five-time champions will get their World Cup campaign underway on October 5th against India in Chennai.