Tim Paine and Aaron Finch have been appointed as captains in the limited-overs formats as Australia continues its regeneration in the aftermath of the ugly ball-tampering scandal.
Cricket Australia (CA) announced on Tuesday (May 8) that Paine, the Test skipper, will lead the ODI side during next month’s tour of the UK, while Finch will be his deputy. The veteran opener has been named Twenty20 captain for a one-off match against England and a subsequent tour of Zimbabwe, which consists of a tri-series also involving Pakistan.
Finch had been deemed the favourite to become the ODI captain but CA have decided to go with Paine in a bid for stability amid this turbulent period. However, CA chief selector Trevor Hohns confirmed Paine’s appointment was not permanent.
“Tim is a strong leader and will captain the side for this series, supported by Aaron,” Hohns said on Tuesday. “A decision on a permanent one-day captain will be made in due course.”
Without suspended former leaders Steve Smith and David Warner, Australia have named a new-look 15-man ODI squad for the five-match series against England and also a 14-man T20 squad. Australia will be missing ailed star quicks Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, along with allrounder Mitchell Marsh who is sidelined with an ankle injury.
Nathan Lyon, the star Test spinner, returns from the ODI wilderness and is set to play his first limited-overs match for Australia in two years. Ashton Agar, the spinning allrounder, has been named in both squads, while emerging legspinner Mitchell Swepson was a surprise inclusion for the T20 lineup. Adam Zampa, who had been the incumbent limited-overs spinner, has been left out.
“Nathan is our number one off-spinner and has excelled with the red ball, however he is not new to white ball cricket and deserves his chance to push for World Cup selection,” Hohns said. “England potentially have a number of left-handers in their side and we look forward to seeing what he can produce with the white-ball in English conditions.
“Adam hasn’t performed to the level we would have liked in recent times and we see this as a good opportunity for other spinning options to press their case ahead of the cricket World Cup,” he added.
Alex Carey, the South Australian wicketkeeper, has been selected in both squads and his emerging standing was underlined after being named Finch’s deputy. Shaun Marsh, the veteran Test batsman, has been recalled to the ODI team but Usman Khawaja was a notable exclusion along with dynamic batsman Chris Lynn who also missed out on both squads.
Big Bash League star D’Arcy Short is set go get his first taste of ODI cricket, while uncapped Queenslander Jake Wildermuth was selected for the T20 squad along with Nic Maddinson who recently missed out on a NSW state contract.
“The NSP hold Jack in high regard as young player on the rise,” Mark Waugh, the national T20 selector, said. “He has shown excellent all-round skills at the first-class level, particularly with the ball in the Big Bash. We look forward to seeing what he can produce at the international level.”
Cummins and Starc are expected to return for Australia’s next Test assignment – set to be against Pakistan in the UAE in October. “Mitchell is going to undertake a prolonged rehabilitation period for his tibial bone stress injury and we are aiming for a return to play for the Pakistan Test Series in the UAE,” David Beakley, CA physiotherapist, said. “Pat is still recovering from a lumbar bone stress injury, the good news is that it has not progressed to a fracture but he still requires a period of rehabilitation with an aim for him to return to play for the Pakistan Test series along with Starc.”
Australian ODI squad: Tim Paine (c), Aaron Finch (vc), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Josh Hazelwood, Travis Head, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcuis Stoinis, Andrew Tye
T20 squad: Aaron Finch (c), Alex Carey (vc and wk), Ashton Agar, Travis Head, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Andrew Tye, Jack Wildermuth
