October 14th 2024.
The Australian cricket team has announced their 14-man squad for the upcoming home ODI series against Pakistan, with Pat Cummins being named as the captain. The first match of the series will take place on November 4 at the MCG in Melbourne.
This will be Cummins' first 50-over match for Australia since the victorious ICC Men's Cricket World Cup final against India last year. The squad does not include Travis Head or Mitch Marsh as they are both on paternity leave, giving opportunities to young players like Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short to open the batting together.
In addition to Cummins, experienced all-rounder Marcus Stoinis has also returned to the squad for the three-match series. This will be the team's final preparation before the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan next year. Stoinis has not played in an ODI match since the 2023 World Cup and was not selected for the ODI leg of the UK tour. The squad also includes regulars like Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, and Josh Hazlewood.
Young players Cooper Connolly and Aaron Hardie, who made their ODI and T20 debuts in September's tour of the UK, have also been named in the squad. Selection Chair George Bailey believes that this series against Pakistan will be crucial in preparing for the Champions Trophy in February.
"This is our last ODI series before the Champions Trophy and the squad has been selected with that in mind, as well as preparing for the upcoming Test summer," Bailey stated. He also added, "Given the challenges we faced with illness and injury during the UK tour, we are looking to build on our success and continue to improve as a team."
The squad includes players who have been performing consistently, such as Cummins, Abbott, Labuschagne, and Maxwell. The matches are scheduled to take place on November 4 in Melbourne, November 8 in Adelaide, and November 10 in Perth. Fans are eager to see how the team will perform in their last ODI series before the highly anticipated Champions Trophy.
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