Matt Renshaw to lead Cricket Australia XI against England in a One-Day Warm-up game

Matt Renshaw has been appointed the skipper of Cricket Australia XI in a tour game against England ahead of the five-match ODI series. The warm-up game will be played on January 11 in Sydney as the home side comprises of some of the promising young talents. Renshaw was dropped for the ongoing Ashes after poor returns in the first few rounds of the Sheffield Shield season prior to the series. However, he would be keen to lead the side from the front and shine in the only opportunity presented to prove himself albeit in the limited overs format.

Former Australian greats Brad Haddin and Glenn McGrath are all set to take up the coaching responsibilities of the side. The CA XI team is filled with youngsters including Chadd Sayers who was in the Test squad for the first couple of Ashes Tests. His exploits with the pink ball had earned him the place and now would also look to perform well in the one-off game. The national selector, Greg Chappell, cleared that the players were picked keeping the Big Bash League (BBL) in mind.

Chappell explains the selection

Greg Chappell, who is also the national talent manager, was part of the committee which appointed Matt Renshaw at the helm for the warm-up tie. He was also excited to see the young players putting their hands up for the national call-up. “We’ve tried to get the most competitive team possible, bearing in mind Australian and BBL commitments. It’s great to have the quality and experience of Matt Renshaw and Chadd Sayers in the side, and also five others who have played Sheffield Shield cricket this season, including Travis Dean, Jake Doran and John Dalton,” he said as quoted by Cricbuzz.

The squad consists of the five players who represented CA XI in the domestic JLT One-Day Cup earlier this summer and the former Australian cricketer was happy to present them with yet another opportunity. But he particularly picked Mackenzie Harvey, the 17-year-old kid, to watch out for as an exciting prospect during the game. “Mackenzie Harvey is just 17 years old but is a very exciting prospect. He underlined his class and potential with a century at Under 19 level against Pakistan last month, and will be eligible for the 2020 ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup,” Chappell added.

Squad: Matt Renshaw (c), Gabe Bell, Jake Carder, John Dalton, Travis Dean, Jake Doran, Daniel Fallins, David Grant, Mackenzie Harvey, Harry Nielsen, Ben Pengelley, Chadd Sayers.