Australia Announces 26-Member Preliminary Squad For Planned Tour Of England

Read Time:2 Minute, 40 Second

Australia on Thursday announced a 26-strong preliminary squad for a nevertheless-to-be-confirmed limited-overs tour of England, naming the likes of Glenn Maxwell and Usman Khawaja together with some uncapped players with an eye fixed on the currently-uncertain T20 World Cup.

In a press release, CA said saying the squad is “a positive step, albeit not a definitive one” as it works for a come to international cricket amid the COVID-19 pandemic. England has already hit the restart button with an ongoing Test series against the West Indies.

“A final decision on the tour has not been created and constructive discussions between Cricket Australia, the England and Wales Cricket Board, and all relevant government agencies remain ongoing,” the CA statement read.

A final squad can be announced if the tour, comprising 3 ODIs and 3 T20 Internationals, is confirmed for September.

The preliminary list options the regulars together with the likes of Maxwell, who hasn’t played for the country since October last year after taking a break to accommodate some mental health problems.

Khawaja too has not been a particular favorite in white-ball cricket for a whereas currently. He skipped over on a CA contract for the primary time in 5 years earlier in April.

National Selector Trevor Hohns said the squad isn’t simply for the England tour however has also been picked with an eye on the T20 World Cup, which is apparently set to be postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This preliminary list covers the contingencies of taking part in One-Day Internationals and T20 Internationals in bio-secure hubs with the likely prospect of not having the ability to usher in replacements should the tour proceed,” he said.

“The preliminary list conjointly contains a view towards the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup and in the longer term the 2023 ICC World Cup,” he added.

The uncapped trio of Daniel Sams, Riley Meredith, and Josh Philippe, all of whom have done well within the Big Bash League, was conjointly named within the squad.

“The preliminary list includes many exciting young players who have recently excelled at state level and in the BBL. These rising players are those we tend to would really like to develop additional as we tend to believe they need a bright future in Australian cricket,” Hohns said.

Cricket Australia’s Executive General Manager of National Teams Ben Oliver said CA is hopeful of the tour going ahead.

“The ECB are a protracted-standing and valued international cricket partner and we have a tendency to do all we will to grant the tour the best doable probability of happening,” he stated.

“In the meantime, the identification of a preliminary list will enable us to work with players and states more directly on the preparation for the tour in the hope it will proceed,” he added.

The Squad:

Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Michael Neser, Josh Philippe, Daniel Sams, D’Arcy Short, Kane Richardson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.