Australia has picked 14-man teams for the ODI and T20I series against South Africa which starts on August 10. Pat Cummins is taking a break, so Mitchell Marsh who is already the T20I captain will also lead the ODI team. Mitchell Starc won’t be on the tour either.
Mitchell Owen is a new face in the ODI squad. He got the call-up after a good showing in the recent T20I series against West Indies. He’s replacing Jake Fraser-McGurk who was dropped after not playing well. Sean Abbott and Tanveer Sangha are the other two missing from the teams.
Josh Hazlewood and Travis Head are back in the national team and Matt Short is back after recovering from a minor injury. After announcing the squads, chief selector George Bailey said how important it is to be adaptable as they head into the T20 World Cup. He said the smaller squad for the T20s is because of that and thinks it will be good for everyone.
Bailey said as they prepare for the T20 World Cup the flexibility and depth the team showed in the West Indies series, besides the obvious results, was a big positive. He was especially happy with how the batting order could be changed around and how the bowlers could bowl at different points in the innings. He thought it was great that Mitch Owen and Matt Kuhnemann made their debuts and that Nathan Ellis played all five matches.
According to Bailey the smaller squad for the home series, along with Travis Head and Josh Hazlewood coming back means some players aren’t in the squad for this series but they’re still in consideration for the future. He thinks the whole group took advantage of every opportunity they got. He expects that to continue through this series and the series against New Zealand and India later in the year as they balance giving players opportunities and preparing for the Test summer.
Australia T20I Squad for South Africa Tour:
Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa
Australia ODI Squad for South Africa Tour:
Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa
