Joe Burns and Ashton Agar will make their one-day international debuts later this month. The pair join Victorian allrounder Marcus Stoinis as the uncapped inclusions in Australia’s 14-man squad for the one-day series against England that follows the Ashes.
Burns is likely to open the batting in the absence of Aaron Finch, while left-armer Agar will be the tourists’ frontline spinner. The two young guns are expected to return to the national Test side soon.
Strong performances in the five-game series against England could ensure that happens on the October tour of Bangladesh.
Finch has suffered a torn hamstring, bruised lung and broken foot in an unlucky run since the World Cup. The opener has started running and batting in the nets, but chairman of selectors Rod Marsh says he won’t be fully fit in time for the series.
“He also hasn’t played as much cricket as we would have liked him to following a couple of serious injuries,” Marsh said.
“He may look to return to Yorkshire, fitness dependent, for a few games at the end of the season as he prepares for the Matador Cup [domestic one-day series] at home in October.”
Versatile Queenslander Burns batted at No6 for the Test side last summer, but scored 154 opening for Australia A in a recent clash with India A.
“Joe has impressed us immensely over in India with Australia A,” Marsh said. “He is a very capable young batsman who has experience opening and we think he will grab his opportunity with the white ball during this series.”
Agar returns to the country where he made an astonishing Test debut at age 19, scoring 98 to set a new Test record for a No11 batsman. More recently, Agar snared a five-wicket haul in Chennai.
“Ashton has performed very well with the ball since his return from shoulder surgery,” Marsh said. “He has played in these conditions over here before and the national selection panel believes he has a very bright future.”
Stoinis’s call-up comes due to the absence of James Faulkner, who was banned from the series by Cricket Australia after drink-driving in the UK. He will find it hard to break into the XI, with Shane Watson and Mitch Marsh both staying on after their Test commitments.
New captain Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner and Pat Cummins are the other members of the vanquished Test squad staying on.
Matthew Wade will keep wicket following Brad Haddin’s ODI retirement, while fit-again quicks Nathan Coulter-Nile and James Pattinson are recalled. George Bailey and Glenn Maxwell, two members of the squad who won the World Cup earlier this year, round out the touring party.
Legspinner Cameron Boyce has been left out of the ODI squad, but will play in the one-off Twenty20 clash with England on 31 August. The white-ball action starts on 27 August with a game against Ireland in Belfast.
Australia’s 14-man ODI squad: David Warner, Joe Burns, Steve Smith (capt), Shane Watson, George Bailey, Matthew Wade, Mitch Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, James Pattinson.
