The 13-man team for Cricket Australia’s forthcoming Twenty20 International series against Pakistan, which begins on November 14, has been revealed.
As the team rests its Test players in preparation for the pivotal India series, speed trio Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, and Spencer Johnson return from injury. Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh, the last T20I captains, are not available, hence the selection committee has not yet named a captain.
Due to the absence of numerous major players, Australia will have a fantastic opportunity to test its depth in the three-match series, which will start in Brisbane and continue with matches in Sydney (November 16) and Hobart (November 18).
They just slightly overlap in terms of preparation: George Bailey
The Test players are resting since, interestingly, the series is scheduled to end just four days before the first Test match against India in Perth. George Bailey, the chairman of selectors, gave an explanation of the rationale for squad separation.
“They only slightly overlap in terms of preparation. Around that second T20, the Test team will be arriving in Perth and sorting out their Test preparation. During the Test summer, we will be gathering that group for the first time, and we have made it quite obvious that we are giving individual preparation first priority. Therefore, it was decided that it would be better to separate them for a variety of reasons rather than constantly changing guys and making things messy,” Bailey explained.
With Johnson, Ellis, and Bartlett all recuperating from injuries experienced during the UK tour, the squad also sees the return of bowling power. Johnson has already resumed playing domestic cricket, and Bartlett and Ellis should be fit for the first game of the series.
With Glenn Maxwell making a comeback after being rested for the T20I part of the UK tour, the opening pairing of Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk will be included in the batting order. Josh Inglis is among the contenders for the leadership position, as are BBL captains Maxwell, Adam Zampa, Short, and Aaron Hardie.
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The coaching staff will also change for the series, with bowling coach Daniel Vettori, batting coach Michael Di Venuto, and assistant coach Andre Borovec taking over while head coach Andrew McDonald gets ready for the India Test series. Brad Hodge, a former Australian batter, becomes an assistant coach.
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