After wiping out the Test series in Sri Lanka, the injured Australia will gain momentum in ODI matches with South Asians and build confidence ahead of the Champions Trophy.
Selectors will check out Australia’s final Champions Trophy team on Wednesday.
Following the long and intermittent home summers on the Sri Lanka Tour, Australia’s Champions Trophy roster will have a different look than Peerless team, which won the record sixth World Cup title in India’s 2023 tournament.
Regular captain Pat Cummins, fellow Quick Josh Hezlewood and all-arounder Mitch Marsh were ruled out for injuries, but Marcus Stonis was late in leaving last week after a surprising retirement from ODI. did.
The selector responds by calling out a small army in the Sri Lanka series, along with fast bowlers Sean Abbott, Spencer Johnson, Ben Dwarsh and leg spinner Tanver Sanga, along with spin bowling all-around Cooper Connolly and Butter Jake Fraser-Mcgurk has been added.
Coach Andrew McDonald has confirmed that he will either be Steve Smith or Travis Head, who led the Test in Cummins’ absence, but the selector has not decided to replace Cummins as captain.
Even if a fresh face for bowling is guaranteed, other choices remain in the air.
Australia’s Reserve Quix’s international ambition has long been hampered by the durability and consistency of the frontline trio of Cummins, Hazlewood and Stark.
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However, at least two Abbotts, Johnson and Dwarschwis, will be included in the Champions Trophy, joining Pacers Mitchell Stark and Nathan Ellis for a tournament co-hosted by Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.
As Starc is sure to rest for Wednesday’s ODI for a quick turnaround from the second Test, fellow left-handed Johnson and Dwarshuis will impress the selector in his place I hope for a last chance.
Hard-hit Fraser-Mcgurk line up to replace Marsh at No. 3 in batting order, but Connolly will be held in the Champions Trophy squad as an alternative to Stonis, even without an all-round ship bowling. It may be.
Selectors include all Australian test players in the ODI team and play at least one match in Colombo, falling into a shorter form of rhythm, even if they may be completely different to Pakistan’s spin-friendly conditions. I hope that.
Australia will hold a Champions Trophy campaign against the UK in Lahore on February 22nd, and will also hold matches for other groups against South Africa and Afghanistan in Pakistan.
McDonald said it would be a great balance to balance the teams for the February 19th to March 9th tournament to select a team that selectors can continue to build momentum in Sri Lanka.
“You want to play to win, but there’s no doubt about that, because the winning form always helps the group’s confidence,” he told the Cricket Australia website.
“A consideration is that (Columbo) conditions may differ slightly from those obtained in Pakistan.
“The last time I came here (in 2022), I spun a square in a one-day series.