Australia has announced its squad for the upcoming white-ball tour of the United Kingdom, with West Australian young gun Cooper Connolly earning his maiden international call-up.
On Monday afternoon, Cricket Australia unveiled its touring party for September’s tour of Scotland and England, which features three T20Is against Scotland in Edinburgh along with three T20Is and five ODIs against England across the United Kingdom, including a 50-over clash at Lord’s on September 27.
Connolly, who steered the Perth Scorchers to a remarkable victory in last year’s Big Bash League final against the Brisbane Heat, has been vaulted into the T20 squad, while fellow rising stars Xavier Bartlett, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie and Spencer Johnson earned a recall.
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Fraser-McGurk, who turned heads earlier this year during an explosive campaign with the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League, is expected to replace the retired David Warner at the top of the order in the T20 side.
Spinner Ashton Agar and wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, who represented Australia during last month’s T20 World Cup campaign in the Caribbean, have both been dropped, with West Australian Josh Inglis set to don the gloves in the national T20 side.
Victorian batter Matthew Short will remain home for the birth of his first child before joining the Australian squad for the ODIs against England, while Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Starc will miss the T20 fixtures due to workload management.
Australian Test captain Pat Cummins has been rested for the entire series, with all-rounder Mitchell Marsh leading both sides in his absence.
Meanwhile, South Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey has earned a recall after he was dropped from the ODI side during last year’s World Cup in India.
“This tour gives us a great opportunity to bring in some new players in the absence of David Warner and Matthew Wade, as well as giving some senior players time to prepare for the home summer and a busy first half of next year,” chair of selectors George Bailey said in a statement.
“We are particularly pleased to offer Cooper his first opportunity in the T20 squad having introduced the likes of Jake, Spencer, Xavier and Aaron in the past 12 months.
“They are exciting prospects to join the likes of Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis and Josh Inglis in the white ball setup.
“With the Champions Trophy on our doorstep early next year, the white ball series against Pakistan leading into the summer and a huge home Test series against India there has been a lot of planning invested into these next six months.
“That has included gradual integration of new players into our white ball squads who have earned international opportunities via excellent form in Big Bash or state cricket.”
Connolly made his first-class debut during March’s Sheffield Shield final, blasting 90 (115) during the 377-run victory against Tasmania at the WACA.
The 20-year-old, who captained Australia at the Under-19 World Cup in 2022, scored 181 runs at 22.62 with a strike rate of 136.09 during last summer’s Big Bash.
Earlier this month, Connolly signed a two-year contract extension with the Scorchers, keeping him at the Perth-based franchise until 2027.
“The last couple of years have been pretty surreal – that BBL|12 Final, and then playing a bit more last year – so I’m excited to see what the next few seasons hold,” Connolly said in a statement.
“It’s still pretty early in my career so I’m honestly just trying to soak up as much as I can from my teammates and our coaches, who do a great job preparing us each week.”
Australian T20 squad vs Scotland and England
Mitchell Marsh (c)
Xavier Bartlett
Cooper Connolly
Tim David
Nathan Ellis
Jake Fraser-McGurk
Cameron Green
Aaron Hardie
Josh Hazlewood
Travis Head
Josh Inglis
Spencer Johnson
Marcus Stoinis
Adam Zampa
Australian ODI squad vs England
Mitchell Marsh (c)
Sean Abbott
Alex Carey
Cameron Green
Nathan Ellis
Jake Fraser-McGurk
Aaron Hardie
Josh Hazlewood
Josh Inglis
Travis Head
Marnus Labuschagne
Glenn Maxwell
Matthew Short
Steve Smith
Mitchell Starc
Adam Zampa
Australia’s white-ball tour of the United Kingdom
September 4 — First T20 vs Scotland, Edinburgh
September 6 — Second T20 vs Scotland, Edinburgh
September 7 — Third T20 vs Scotland, Edinburgh
September 11 — First T20 vs England, Rose Bowl
September 13 — Second T20 vs England, Sophia Gardens
September 15 — Third T20 vs England, Old Trafford
September 19 — First ODI vs England, Trent Bridge
September 21 — Second ODI vs England, Headingley
September 24 — Third ODI vs England, Chester-le-Street
September 27 — Fourth ODI vs England, Lord’s
September 29 — Fifth ODI vs England, County Ground, Bristol
