World Cup 2023 | Pat Cummins to lead as Australia name 18-member preliminary squad
Australia have announced an 18-member squad for the upcoming ODI World Cup starting on October 4 and Pat Cummins is set to captain the outfit. Also, the team management has snubbed Marnus Labuschagne for the marquee event while Tanveer Sangha and Nathan Ellis have been included in the roster.
With the ODI World Cup scheduled to begin in a couple of months, Australia have announced a preliminary squad of 18 members. Pat Cummins, who sustained a fractured wrist in the last Ashes Test is set to lead the team. The Australian captain is recovering and should be available to play ODIs in South Africa and then the World Cup in India. Chair of Selectors George Bailey stated that Cummins has enough time to recover before the World Cup.
"He has an undisplaced fracture of his left radius which requires six weeks of rehabilitation. We expect him to join the squad during the South African ODI series. We view a period of enforced rest for Pat as a positive ahead of this important World Cup campaign,” Bailey said, reported ESPNcricinfo.
"There are still a number of games he could play before the World Cup which is more than enough for him to have a strong preparation."
Marnus Labuschagne is a surprise exclusion from the team as he has missed only eight fixtures for the country since his debut at the start of 2020. However, the Australian batter’s form has dipped recently and he averages 22.30 in his last 14 ODI innings. Bailey explained that Labuschagne hasn’t been delivering in the role the team wants him to and the batter will be given some A games in the future to focus on white-ball cricket.
"We know Marnus at his best is good enough to hold down a spot in the one-day team, we just haven't seen enough of it consistently in the role that we'd like him to do. Leading into the World Cup, there's some opportunities for others to get a bit more game time. We've been really clear with Marnus, he's going to be part of some Australia A games around the same time so he can focus on some white-ball cricket,” he added.
Leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha and all-rounder Aaron Hardie are new inclusions in the team and they both might get an opportunity to make their debuts in international cricket in the coming weeks.
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