Big Aussie Stars to Miss Bangladesh White-Ball Tour

Australia will be without two of their biggest match-winners for the upcoming white-ball series against Bangladesh. Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh have been ruled out of the ODI leg, and Head will also miss the T20Is.

Why Are They Missing

Let’s start with Travis Head. The left-handed opener was granted personal leave by Cricket Australia. Selectors also want to manage his workload carefully. Head plays all three formats for Australia, and the next 12 months are packed with cricket. So, instead of flying to Bangladesh, he will rest and prepare for the Test series against Bangladesh later in the year.

Now, Mitchell Marsh – the T20I captain – is still recovering from an ankle injury he picked up during the IPL. He was forced to miss the Pakistan series as well. Marsh will travel to Dhaka with the team, but he won’t play in the ODIs. The plan is to have him ready for the T20Is, which start on June 17.

Who Replaces Them?

National selector Tony Dodemaide confirmed that Josh Inglis will continue as stand-in captain for the ODIs. Inglis led the team in Pakistan too. If Marsh is not fit for the T20Is, Inglis will likely lead in that format as well.

Matt Short and Ollie Peake – who impressed in Pakistan – have been retained for the Bangladesh tour. Peake became Australia’s youngest specialist batter to debut in ODIs during that series.

There’s also a new face in the squad. Legspinner Tanveer Sangha picked up a hamstring injury in Pakistan, so he’s been replaced by offspinner Todd Murphy. This is Murphy’s first white-ball call-up. He has played seven Tests before.

Two fast bowlers – Xavier Bartlett and Ben Dwarshuis – missed the Pakistan series because they were expected to play in the IPL playoffs for Punjab Kings. But Punjab lost six of their last seven matches and didn’t qualify for the playoffs. So both bowlers returned to Australia, took a short break, and will now join the Bangladesh squad.

They replace Billy Stanlake and Riley Meredith from the ODI squad. Meredith will stay on the tour because he is part of the T20I squad.

Australia’s Squads for Bangladesh

ODI Squad (Captain: Josh Inglis)- Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis (c), Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Todd Murphy, Oli Peake, Matthew Renshaw, Liam Scott, Matt Short, Adam Zampa

T20I Squad (Captain: Mitchell Marsh – if fit)- Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Adam Zampa

                                               

Relevant news