Travis Head returns as Australia name ODI squad for England series

Australia’s campaign at the T20 World Cup 2022 did not go their way, but the Men in Yellow are now gearing up for the 50-over World Cup which is set to happen next year in India. And in preparation for the same, Australia has named a full-strength squad for the upcoming bilateral series against England, which will be followed by the West Indies touring Australia for a two-match Test series.

Aaron Finch announcing his retirement from ODIs led to the openers slot being available, and Australia has named Travis Head for the position, who will likely be seen in the starting lineup as well as he makes a return to the Australian ODI side. Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood have been selected to play in both of the series despite Australia's inclination to manage the workload of their first-choice pacers.

After missing out on the Zimbabwe and New Zealand series owing to the birth of his first child, Travis Head will be seen during the series against England, forming a new opening pair alongside David Warner. This three-game series, which will begin on November 17, four days after the T20 World Cup championship match, will mark Pat Cummins' debut as the ODI skipper.

“Our focus is to continue to build a squad with an eye to next year's World Cup under Pat as the new ODI captain, so it's an important series. Travis Head returns in place of Aaron Finch having played well in Pakistan and Sri Lanka earlier in the year. He has demonstrated flexibility in the types of roles he can play in our ODI line-up. Our next opportunity in the ODI format will be in India next year which will allow us to experience similar conditions as for the World Cup in October,” Chair of Selectors George Bailey said.

Australia will travel to Perth to play West Indies in the first Test, which starts on November 30, following the end of the ODI series against England on November 22. Beginning on December 8, Adelaide will host the second and last Test of the two-match series, and the 13-man squad they chose for the two Test matches had no major shocks.

Marcus Harris, who didn't travel to Sri Lanka with the senior team, is back after putting on a strong performance in County Cricket and the Sheffield Shield. Though he is likely to be a backup, Scott Boland is anticipated to be the backup pace option to the primary trio of Cummins, Starc, and Hazelwood.

“After some larger squads for the sub-continent tours over the winter, we have returned to a very similar squad to that which performed strongly last summer in comprehensively winning the Ashes. Marcus Harris retains his place after continuing to perform for Gloucestershire in the English County competition and a strong start to the Marsh Sheffield Shield season,” Bailey said.

Australia’s squad for England ODI series: Pat Cummins (C), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey (WK), Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

Australia’s Squad for the West Indies Test series: Pat Cummins (C), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (WK), Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner