Cricket Australia (CA) has left out some big-name players for the limited-overs leg of their tour against Pakistan.
The officially announced 16-member squad for the series against Pakistan sees Sean Abbott, Jason Behrendorff, and Nathan Ellis added to the team in place of Test skipper Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchel Starc.
Other noticeable absentees are their stalwart opening batter, David Warner, and the aggressive batting all-rounder Glenn Maxwell who is unavailable due to personal commitments
Team Australia will travel to Pakistan with a full-strength Test squad but will field a different side for the three One-Day Internationals and one Twenty20 International game that follows.
Matthew Wade’s absence from the sole T20I means English-born Josh Inglis takes his place while Alex Carey is set to don the gloves as a wicket-keeper batter in the ODIs
According to Cricket Australia, the changes were made to manage the workload of some players who play all formats due to a packed schedule. “We have picked a talented and versatile squad with a number of challenges to juggle,” said chair of selectors George Bailey.
Bailey also cited the need “to build experience and depth in preparation for two short-form World Cups within the next 18 months.” “We’re confident the squad can both compete successfully on this tour and continue our progress towards those crucial tournaments,” Bailey added.
Limited-overs players who are not participating in the Test series will eventually join the squad in the middle of the tour, with the first ODI taking place on March 29 in Rawalpindi.
Australia will be facing Pakistan in three One-Day Internationals on March 29, 31, and April 2, followed by a one-off T20I on April 5th.
Squad: Aaron Finch (capt), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa
