Australia’s T20 World Cup 2021 heroes David Warner and Mitchell Marsh will be giving the upcoming five-match home T20I series against Sri Lanka amiss ahead of the all-format tour of Pakistan, confirmed Cricket Australia in their squad announcement on January 25.
Warner and Marsh, Australia’s top two run-getters in their maiden men’s T20 World Cup success, will be resting the matches against Sri Lanka in order to be fresh for the historic Test, ODI and T20I tour of Pakistan in March-April.
There were speculations that Australia may rest a few other of their Test match stars apart from Warner after a long, tiring but mighty successful Ashes campaign at home. But the selectors have kept lead quicks Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Steve Smith in the T20I squad.
They have also picked Josh Hazlewood after he missed four straight Tests of the series against England, using it as an opportunity to track his rehab and recovery before the Pakistan challenge.
Similarly, Jhye Richardson, who missed three Ashes Tests after coming out sore from the Adelaide Test, is also part of the T20I side.
Wristspinner Mitchell Swepson is the only other member of the T20 World Cup squad, apart from Warner and Marsh, not to be retained for the Sri Lanka series. The selectors have let go tournament reserves Daniel Sams, Nathan Ellis (who is injured) and Dan Christian.
Aaron Finch will be captaining the squad, which features maiden call-up to Ben McDermott and the returns of Travis Head and Moises Henriques.
McDermott was the stand-out performer for the Hobart Hurricanes at this summer’s BBL, making a whopping 577 runs from his 13 innings. He averaged 48.08 while maintaining a strike-rate of 153.83. The batter’s tally included two hundreds and three half-centuries.
“I don’t think that I wasn’t ready to play for Australia (before), but I do feel ready now. I feel like I’m at the top of my game,”
McDermott was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
The 27-year-old could be given an extended run at the top of the order in the absence of Warner.
Australia have an interim coach in place for the Sri Lanka T20Is in Andrew McDonald, who will be standing in for regular head coach Justin Langer as he takes a planned break before resuming duties with the Pakistan series.
The T20I series will be played between February 11 and 20. Matches will be hosted in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne in a revised schedule amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
