Matt Short and Aaron Hardie will play at their first ICC tournament after being named Monday in Australia's 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy which begins next month in Pakistan and the UAE.
Short, Hardie and Nathan Ellis are the newcomers to the squad which won the 2023 ICC World Cup in India, reports AP.
Opener Jake Fraser-McGurk is the notable omission from the squad which is heavy with allrounders. Australia are two-time winners of the Champions Trophy which was last staged in 2017 and brings together the top eight ODI teams in the world.
The call-up of Short, Hardie and Ellis is made possible by the retirement of David Warner, the unavailability of Cameron Green who is recovering from a back injury and the absence of Sean Abbott.
Ellis earned his call-up after leading the Hobart Hurricanes into the finals of the Big Bash League. Short has played in nine of Australia's last 11 one-day internationals and returned from a broken toe to score a century for the Adelaide Strikers in the BBL on Saturday.
He and Fraser-McGurk were traveling reserves for the Australia squad at last year's T20 World Cup.
Pat Cummins will lead the team, though head of selectors George Bailey has revealed the fast bowler carried an ankle injury through the recent Border-Gavaskar test series against India. While squads have to be named five weeks before the tournament begins on Feb. 19, changes can be made if required.
Cummins will sit out Australia's test tour of Sri Lanka which begins later this month as will Josh Hazlewood and Mitch Marsh. Australia will play a lone one-dayer at the end of that tour which will be its only Champions Trophy warm-up.
Short supplements his batting with off-spin while Hardie bowls pace. Marsh, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis also provide allround options.
“This is a balanced and experienced squad with the core having been involved in the previous one-day World Cup, the West Indies series, last year’s successful tour of the UK and the more recent Pakistan home series,” Bailey said. “It offers a variety of options for touring management depending on opposition and the conditions that may present in Pakistan.”
Australia is drawn alongside England, South Africa and Afghanistan in Group B at the Champions Trophy.
