Cricket Australia retained 11 out of 15 players from the team which played the last month concluded ODI series against India. Out of form Mitchell Marsh was sidelined from the team alongside Mitchell Starc who failed to recover from the injury that he sustained during the second test against Sri Lanka which caused strain in the shoulder, arm and chest.
“Unfortunately, scans have revealed that Mitchell Starc sustained a substantial tear to his left pec muscle while bowling on the final day of the Test match in Canberra. This means he will be unavailable for the Tour of India, but we will instead target a return to play for the ODI Series against Pakistan in the UAE in March,” national selector Trevor Hohns said in a statement.
Josh Hazlewood who troubled India in the test series was also unavailable for selection following injury concerns.
Veteran pacer Peter Siddle who made a comeback into the ODI side against India after playing his last game in 2010 was also sidelined from the team. He played three games, conceding 162 runs at 6.48 runs per over and taking two wickets. Another paceman Billy Stanlake was also dropped from the team.
“Peter Siddle and Mitch Marsh are unfortunate to miss out, but our message throughout the summer remains true, with such a big schedule ahead opportunities may well present themselves,” Hohns added.
Australia will play the T20 series, starting in Vizag on 24th February followed by game in Bengaluru on 27th February.
The ODIs will be held in Hyderabad (March 2), Nagpur (March 5), Ranchi (March 8), Mohali (March 10) and Delhi (March 13).
Australia T20I/ODI squad for India tour 2019
Aaron Finch (c), Pat Cummins, Alex Carey, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Peter Handscomb, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner, Adam Zampa
