Image Credit- Getty
While Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh will miss the three-match encounter due to paternity leave, Australia’s skipper Pat Cummins will lead the ODI series against Pakistan in preparation for the forthcoming Test summer.
Australia’s 14-man squad for the series, which gets underway at the MCG on November 4, was revealed on Monday. Cummins has been selected captain of the team. Marsh and Head, who are both expecting babies in the upcoming weeks, are absent from the squad. Cameron Green, who decided to have back surgery, will not be able to play in the summer.
A Sheffield Shield match before the five-Test series against India is unlikely to see Cummins on the pitch. Rather, he will play 50-over cricket to get all his preparation done. Before captaining the opening ODI, he is expected to play a one-day domestic match for New South Wales on October 25.
Given that there is only a day between the second and third ODI matches in Adelaide and Perth and a long journey between them, it is unclear if Cummins will play in all three ODIs against Pakistan. Both Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc have been included in the ODI team; but, given their desire to play at least one Shield match prior to the ODIs, it seems likely that the bowling attack will be rotated.
“This is our last ODI series before the Champions Trophy and the balance of the squad was focussed on that as well as continuing to focus on preparation of individuals for the upcoming Test summer,” chair of selectors George Bailey said. “The one-day side had a great result in the UK particularly given illness and injury challenges. We view this is an opportunity to expand on that achievement in preparation for next February in Pakistan.”
After sitting out since the 2023 World Cup, Marcus Stoinis returns to the ODI circuit. He played in the T20I series against Scotland and England but was not picked for the ODI leg of the tour. Although he is almost eligible for an upgrade, Stoinis does not currently hold a state or CA contract. Since the beginning of the summer, he has not participated in any domestic one-day matches for Western Australia. However, given Green’s injury, he is still part of the preparations for the Champions Trophy in Pakistan. If Australia choose to field an all-rounder-heavy XI, he will be an important all-round player next to the rising Aaron Hardie.
Head and Marsh’s absences will allow for a different opening combination, with Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk having a strong chance to work together during the course of the series. While Fraser-McGurk did not receive an opportunity in the ODIs but appears certain to play in the forthcoming series, Short was one of Australia’s bright spots during the tour to the United Kingdom.
The T20I team for Australia’s three-match series against Pakistan that comes after the ODIs has not yet been announced. Australia’s Test players will rest for the first Test, which begins on November 22, therefore none of them will participate in that series, which runs from November 14 to November 18.