Mitchell Starc has been ruled out of the upcoming series against India while Mitchell Marsh has been left out of the squad. Peter Siddle and Billy Stanlake are the other two players missing from the line up for the two T20Is and five ODIs against India, having earlier featured in the squad for the ODI series against India at home.
A pectoral injury, that Starc suffered while bowling on Day 5 of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Canberra, will keep him out of action against India. The left-arm pacer will target a return during the ODI series against Pakistan, national selector Trevor Hohns said on Thursday (February 7).
“Unfortunately, scans have revealed that Mitchell Starc sustained a substantial tear to his left pec muscle while bowling on the final day of the Test match in Canberra. This means he will be unavailable for the Tour of India, but we will instead target a return to play for the ODI Series against Pakistan in the UAE in March,” Hohns said.
Australia T20I/ODI squad: Aaron Finch (c), Pat Cummins, Alex Carey, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Peter Handscomb, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner, Adam Zampa, D’Arcy Short (cover for Marsh)
“Peter Siddle and Mitch Marsh are unfortunate to miss out, but our message throughout the summer remains true, with such a big schedule ahead opportunities may well present themselves,” Hohns said about the players excluded.
Kane Richardson has been recalled to the Australia squad while Shaun Marsh, who is expecting the birth of his second child and also recovering from a hamstring injury, will join the team from the third ODI. D’Arcy Short returns to the ODI squad as cover for Shaun Marsh while Nathan Coulter-Nile has also been included, having not been considered for the recent series against India due to soreness of the back.
“Kane has been in outstanding form over the summer, including his recent performances in the BBL,” Hohns said. “Kane not only has experience playing ODI cricket for Australia, but he’s also performed well for his country when given the opportunity. Nathan Coulter-Nile provides us with another quality bowling option, he brings good energy in the field and can also score runs in high pressure situations.
“Shaun Marsh will join the squad following the birth of his second child. Shaun is also working his way back from a hamstring strain, but we expect him to be available for the third ODI. D’Arcy Short has been named in the squad as cover for Shaun. D’Arcy has been in outstanding form in the BBL over the summer, and he gives us another strong batting option for the opening fixtures of the tour, which include two T20s,” Hohns added.
The series gets underway in late February with two T20Is on February 24 and 27 in Visakhapatnam and Bengaluru respectively. The first ODI will be played in Hyderabad on March 2, the second in Nagpur on March 5, while Ranchi will host the third ODI on March 8. The fourth and fifth ODIs will be played in Mohali and Delhi on March 10 and 13 respectively.
