Owen has been selected to play against South Africa, and Labuschagne will keep his place on the team
Owen has been selected to play against South Africa, and Labuschagne will keep his place on the team
The Australian men's cricket team has announced their squads for the three T20I and three ODI match series against South Africa starting August 10. Mitchell Marsh will continue as acting captain of ODI team Senior players like Travis Head and Josh Hazlewood have returned to the team.
Mitchell Owen has earned his first ODI call-up for Australia’s upcoming series against South Africa in northern Australia, thanks to his strong performance in the T20Is against the West Indies. Fast bowler Lance Morris also returns to the 50-over squad.
Travis Head and Josh Hazlewood are back in both T20I and ODI squads after being rested, while Matt Short has recovered from a side injury. Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc will sit out both series to rest ahead of Australia’s home summer. Mitchell Marsh will captain the ODI team.
Owen impressed in the T20Is with 125 runs at a strike-rate of 192.30, including a fifty on debut. He also smashed 149 off 69 balls in a domestic One-Day Cup match last season. Marnus Labuschagne keeps his ODI spot despite being dropped from the Test team.
From the squad that swept West Indies 5-0, Fraser-McGurk, Hardie, Connolly, and Bartlett won't be in the T20I side facing South Africa. However, Bartlett is included for the ODIs. Fraser-McGurk was a late addition due to Short’s injury and played just one match, while Hardie and Connolly had limited chances to shine.
Selectors are focusing on building flexibility ahead of the T20 World Cup, praising how different players adapted during the West Indies tour. Debuts from Owen and Kuhnemann, and consistent performances from Nathan Ellis were standout moments.
Several players from the Champions Trophy ODI squad miss out this time including Fraser-McGurk, Connolly, Hardie, Abbott, Sangha, and the injured Spencer Johnson. This series will also be the first since the ODI retirements of Steven Smith and Glenn Maxwell.
Lance Morris, who last played an ODI against Pakistan, returns after careful injury management. He had a solid domestic season, taking 13 wickets in four Sheffield Shield matches and 15 in the BBL.
The South Africa tour kicks off with T20Is in Darwin on August 10 and 12, followed by a final T20I in Cairns on August 16. The ODI series begins there on August 19, then wraps up with two matches in Mackay on August 22 and 24.
Australia T20I squad vs South Africa
Mitchell Marsh (c), Tim David, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Kuhnemann, Mitchell Owen, Adam Zampa, Matthew Short
Australia ODI squad vs South Africa
Mitchell Marsh (c), Alex Carey, Xavier Bartlett, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Lance Morris, Adam Zampa