Cricket Australia, on Monday, May 17, announced a 23-member preliminary squad for their limited-overs series against West Indies, which begins in July.
The squad has welcomed back as many as eight big names - Steve Smith, David Warner, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, wicketkeeper Alex Carey and leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson after they missed the T20 tour of New Zealand in March.
Meanwhile, Marnus Labuschagne, who is currently playing county cricket for Glamorgan, has missed out on the squad due to COVID-related travel restrictions.
"Anyone who knows Marnus understands he would give absolutely anything to play for Australia and he is deeply upset to miss out due to circumstances beyond anyone's control,” Australia's national selector Trevor Hohns said in an official Cricket Australia release.
“We worked through numerous options in conversations with Marnus to find a workable solution but ultimately came to the conclusion it was more practical for him to remain in the UK."
Another player left out is all-rounder Cameron Green. The 21-year-old wanted to have a better pre-season with Western Australia to continue work on his bowling. The preliminary squad has plenty of quality spinners in Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa. Mitchell Swepson is another one on the list while Tanveer Sangha has found a place too.
"This preliminary list gives selectors a solid base from which to choose a final touring party in the coming weeks while allowing players to prepare," Hohns added.
The Australia tour of West Indies 2021 begins with the T20I series from July 10. The teams will play five T20Is at the Daren Sammy Stadium until July 17 before moving to Kensington Oval in Barbados for the three-match ODI series, which starts from July 21.
Australia’s 23-member preliminary squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey (wicket-keeper), Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Tanveer Sangha, D’Arcy Short, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Featured photo: AFP / David Gray
