Perth Scorchers and Western Australia allrounder Cooper Connolly has received his first international call-up for Australia's T20I squad to face Scotland and England. Meanwhile, Jake Fraser-McGurk has been included in both the T20I and ODI squads as selectors begin planning for the future.
Australia is set to play three T20Is against Scotland and England starting in early September. This squad marks the beginning of a transition from the team that exited the recent T20 World Cup in the Super Eights. The ODI squad remains more consistent, with a focus on next year's Champions Trophy in Pakistan. Connolly, a 20-year-old left-hander, has only played 15 domestic T20s but was instrumental in the 2022-23 final, securing the title for Perth Scorchers with a strike rate of 145.80 and also providing a valuable left-arm spin option. He also scored 90 on his Sheffield Shield debut earlier this year.
National selector George Bailey mentioned that Connolly's selection is significant, as they haven’t had many new players recently. Bailey noted Connolly’s impressive versatility and middle-order performances for the Scorchers and highlighted his useful left-arm spin as a secondary skill they are eager to develop.
Mitchell Marsh will continue as captain and lead the ODI side in Pat Cummins' absence, who is resting before the home summer. Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell will miss the T20Is but join the ODIs, while all-rounder Matthew Short, who was a travelling reserve at the T20 World Cup, will stay home for the birth of his first child before joining the squad for the five ODIs against England.
Cummins is currently playing in the MLC, but Bailey explained that skipping this tour had been planned for about a year to manage his workload with a condensed home summer schedule approaching. Bailey mentioned that Cummins has some physical aspects to work on, and this break is an opportunity for him to focus on those.
Among the changes, Ashton Agar and Matthew Wade have been dropped from the T20I squad, while David Warner has retired. Fraser-McGurk, expectedly included, now has the chance to establish himself as Warner’s successor in both limited-overs formats. He is yet to make his T20I debut but has played two ODIs against the West Indies last season.
The T20 squad will feature pace bowlers Xavier Bartlett, Spencer Johnson, and Nathan Ellis, alongside the experienced Josh Hazlewood. All-rounders Cameron Green and Aaron Hardie are included in both formats, with Green likely to get more opportunities. Josh Inglis will take over wicket keeping duties in T20Is, with Alex Carey returning to the ODI squad as Inglis' backup after losing his place in the XI during last year’s World Cup.
The T20Is against Scotland, which replace the cancelled tour of Ireland, are scheduled for September 4, 6, and 7. They will be followed by three T20Is against England on September 11, 13, and 15, and then five ODIs.