Cricket Australia is sending Sam Konstas, who has been struggling, to India. He will join the Australia A team for their red-ball tour of the country next month. Konstas first made headlines after scoring a half-century on debut and playing against top bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah in the last Border-Gavaskar Trophy in December. His exchange with Virat Kohli and later Bumrah also made headlines. But since the BGT, Konstas has found it tough to get going in Test cricket.
Konstas and Nathan McSweeney, who are both in the mix for a Test spot, will lead the touring party. They will be joined by other Australian players. This includes Cooper Connolly, Josh Philippe, Xavier Bartlett, Aaron Hardie, Lance Morris and Todd Murphy. Rising stars Fergus O’Neill, Campbell Kellaway and Corey Rocchicoli have also been invited. Oliver Peake, a 17-year-old from Victoria, Jack Edwards, the NSW captain, and Liam Scott, a SA bowler, will also play.
Jake Weatherald, the top scorer in the last Sheffield Shield season and an opener from Tasmania, was not selected for the Australia A tour. Jhye Richardson, a WA bowler, was also missing. Several fringe players who were part of the Test squad for the recent West Indies tour were not picked. This includes Scott Boland, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Kuhnemann and Sean Abbott.
Nathan McSweeney, a fellow top-order batsman, also debuted in the baggy green last summer. He’s still in the mix for a spot in the Australian team.
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After the squad was announced, George Bailey, the CA selector, spoke about the team. Bailey told cricket.com.au that the subcontinent has its challenges. It allows you to work on several skills with both bat and ball. The hope is that repeated exposure in these conditions will help players develop a good approach and knowledge of their game for future tours to the subcontinent.
Australia A Four-Day Squad: Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Jack Edwards, Aaron Hardie, Campbell Kellaway, Sam Konstas, Nathan McSweeney, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Fergus O’Neill, Oliver Peake, Josh Philippe, Corey Rocchicoli, Liam Scott.
Australia A One-Day Squad: Cooper Connolly, Harry Dixon, Jack Edwards, Sam Elliott, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Mackenzie Harvey, Todd Murphy, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Lachie Shaw, Tom Straker, Will Sutherland, Callum Vidler.
