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Australia Test players rested for T20Is against Pakistan with captain to be named

Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis and Spencer Johnson have been named to return for Australia’s T20I series against Pakistan, with all the Test players rested ahead of facing India, but a new captain has yet to be confirmed.
Australia’s most recent T20I captains in Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head are unavailable, as is the ODI and Test captain Pat Cummins. Glenn Maxwell, Adam Zampa, Matthew Short and Aaron Hardie have all captained in the BBL while Josh Inglis is also a strong candidate given his leadership and tactical nous is highly regarded having been Perth Scorchers vice-captain.

Bartlett, Ellis and Johnson all return from injury following the torrid tour of UK where they were ruled out with various issues. Johnson returned to domestic cricket last Friday when he played in the One-Day Cup match for South Australia against Queensland.

Bartlett (side strain) and Ellis (hamstring) have been slower to recover but are expected to be fit for the three-match series that begins on November 14 and finishes on November 18.

There were no surprises in the 13-man squad with a very similar group named to the one that toured the UK in September. Maxwell returns to the fold after being rested from the T20I portion of that trip. Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk look set to open the batting, just as they likely will in the ODI series that precedes the T20Is against Pakistan. Fraser-McGurk batted at No. 3 in his last T20I when Short opened with Head.

With the series finishing just four days before the opening Test against India in Perth, none of the main Test players were made available. Marsh and Head are also missing the ODI series while on paternity leave.

However, CA left the door ajar for members of the T20I squad to join the Test group post the series meaning the likes of Inglis and Sean Abbott could still be in calculations.

“Any members of the T20 squad selected for the first Test will join the rest of the group following the final match in Hobart,” CA’s statement said.

Australia will have a different coaching staff for the T20I series as well with head coach Andrew McDonald, batting coach Michael Di Venuto and bowling coach Daniel Vettori all having a short break ahead of the Test series.

Assistant coach Andre Borovec will take charge, as he did for Australia’s five-match T20I series against India in India last October. Former Australia batter Brad Hodge is also set to join the group as an assistant coach after touring with Australia’s T20 World Cup squad as a coaching consultant in June. Matthew Wade, who is yet to retire from international cricket and captained Australia’s T20I side in February, is reportedly set to join the squad as well in a coaching role.

Australia’s T20I squad vs Pakistan: Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa


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