Australia has opted to rest its premier fast-bowling trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc for the upcoming white-ball series against England. The veteran seamers recently featured in all three Tests during the 2-1 series defeat by South Africa and will sit out the three-match ODI series beginning in Perth on 13 November.
Squad Changes and New Faces
Cummins and Hazlewood are also omitted from the five-match T20 series starting on 21 November, while 36-year-old Starc has already retired from the format. In their absence, 21-year-old fast bowler Mahli Beardman has been selected for both squads and is in line for his international ODI debut, alongside uncapped wicketkeepers Sam Harper and Lachlan Shaw who join the T20 setup.
Several players from the South Africa Test series—including Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, and Matt Renshaw—are named in the ODI squad but excluded from the T20 team. Although 33-year-old Cummins remains the formal ODI captain, he has appeared in only one 50-over fixture since November 2024, prompting T20 skipper and frequent deputy Mitchell Marsh to step in as captain for the longer format.
Seamer Nathan Ellis is restricted to the T20 squad following a side strain sustained during the September ODI tour of South Africa and Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, fellow fast bowler Jack Edwards earns selections in both squads after making his debut on that same trip. All-rounder Liam Scott returns to the ODI squad, and spinners Nikhil Chaudhary and Joel Davies join the T20 fixtures after making their sole international 20-over appearances during the previous tour.
Top-order batters Jake Fraser-McGurk and Mitchell Owen return to the T20 selection after missing recent series, and middle-order finisher Tim David is picked solely for the shorter format despite a recent return to domestic 50-over cricket after a four-year absence.
Intense Schedule Ahead
Following the conclusion of the England T20 fixtures on 2 December, Australia faces a demanding pre-Ashes Test schedule where Cummins, Starc, and 35-year-old Hazlewood are expected to feature heavily. The team will play a four-match home Test series against New Zealand starting 9 December, followed by a five-Test series in India beginning 21 January. They will then meet England in a one-off Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground starting 11 March to celebrate 150 years of Test cricket ahead of the Indian Premier League.
Further ahead, Australia could potentially qualify for the World Test Championship final at the Oval on 9 June, leading directly into the five-match Ashes series from 18 June to 2 August. The ODI World Cup across South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe commences on 7 October, leaving the veteran pace trio with limited 50-over match practice since their 2023 final victory in November 2023. Cummins has played three ODIs since that final, while Hazlewood and Cummins have featured in 14 and 11 matches respectively out of Australia’s 35 games in that timeframe, having played together just once since the tournament against Pakistan in Adelaide in November 2024 while missing the Champions Trophy in February last year.
Australia Squads for England Tour
ODI and T20 squads: Mitchell Marsh (capt), Xavier Bartlett, Mahli Beardman, Jack Edwards, Spencer Johnson, Adam Zampa
ODI squad only: Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Ollie Peake, Matt Renshaw, Liam Scott
T20 squad only: Nikhil Chaudhary, Tim David, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sam Harper, Mitchell Owen, Lachlan Shaw
