David Warner’s recent social media suggestion he’s available to come out of retirement and make himself available for next year’s ICC Champions Trophy ODI tournament in Pakistan has been laughed off by men’s selection panel chair George Bailey.
Despite the absence of several veteran players from Australia’s upcoming white-ball tour to face Scotland and England, Bailey confirmed Warner is the only member of the recent T20 World Cup outfit who definitely won’t figure in future plans.
Other notable absentees from the T20 component of the UK campaign in September are keeper-batter Matthew Wade, fast bowler Mitchell Starc and allrounders Glenn Maxwell and Ashton Agar.
Starc and Maxwell will join the squad for the five ODIs against England that follow six T20 internationals as both players take the opportunity for a short break, with Starc preparing for a hefty Test workload in the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy Series against India.
Test skipper Pat Cummins is also focusing on being in prime physical shape as Australia look to defeat India in Tests on home soil for the first time in three attempts, and therefore will miss the entirety of the UK sojourn.
However, while Agar’s absence is explained by the likely lack of spin-friendly conditions in the UK, Wade has been overlooked prompting speculation the 36-year-old’s 13-year international career may have runs its course.
Bailey denied Wade had been permanently replaced by fellow gloveman Josh Inglis who has been named in both the T20 and ODI squads for the UK, noting that Warner was the only permanent omission from the group that failed to reach the T20 World Cup semi-finals.
“I don’t think there’s anyone that’s not there (in the UK squads) that we’ve put a line through permanently besides David (Warner) who’s retired,” Bailey said today.
“I don’t think anyone else has formally retired.
“If opportunities arise or there are gaps at a different point there’s nothing to say that Wadey might not come back, but certainly at this point we’re excited about giving Josh (Inglis) a run.
“The next T20 World Cup is 2026 so I imagine there may be some more changes than what we’re seeing this squad.
“But as far as ending players or seeing where guys might finish up, we haven’t had those conversations.
“We’ve got nine T20 games before the end of this year which is an opportunity to explore some different looks in the way that the team’s structured (with) some different players.
“I don’t think we play another T20 game until July next year (against the West Indies), then it gets reasonably busy with 15 or 16 games before that next (T20) World Cup (in India and Sri Lanka in 2026).
“We probably aren’t looking that far ahead.”
Warner set tongues wagging last week when he took to Instagram to confirm his immediate playing focus will be franchise cricket around the globe but added “… I am also open to playing for (Australia) in the Champions Trophy if selected.”
That tournament is scheduled for February next year but Bailey was adamant the record-breaking opener, who drew the curtain on his Test tenue at the end of the previous Australia summer, was not part of the selectors’ plans.
“I think he’s just stirring the pot a bit,” Bailey said.
“Our understanding is that David’s retired and should be commended on what is an incredible career across all three formats.
“Certainly our planning is he won’t be there in Pakistan.
“(But) for Glenn (Maxwell) and Mitch (Starc), I think the one-day Champions Trophy is very much on the horizon, a really important tournament for those guys and that’s something we’ve clearly got them lined up for.
“Some of the decisions that have been made around this (UK) series is around prioritising and getting guys right for what’s going to be a really big (home) summer.
“And for some guys this is an opportunity to get a little bit more work into what they’re going to need to have to be ready to go for that.”
Bailey said he and his fellow selectors – national men’s team coach Andrew McDonald and Tony Dodemaide – were comfortable with Cummins’ decision to take part in the ongoing Major League Cricket T20 competition in the USA but then sit out the UK campaign.
He also confirmed Cummins will resume captaincy of the ODI team when he returns, but his plan to prioritise fitness work ahead of the India Test series which is followed by a further two Tests in Sri Lanka had been formulated some time ago.
In his absence, the ODI team will be skippered by Mitchell Marsh who impressed Bailey with his leadership of the T20 outfit during the World Cup which ended prematurely with Australia’s successive losses to Afghanistan and eventual champions India.
“With Pat, this has been something we’ve been planning for him and with him for about 12 months,” Bailey said of Cummins’ schedule.
“It’s not so much resting because Pat certainly won’t be resting, it will be a pretty heavy period for him in terms of he’s got a couple of things he wants to work on physically.
“Looking at the series that we’re prioritising and how important he is for us as a leader across the Test and one-day outfits, this was the gap.
“The MLC opportunity came up reasonably late, (and) effectively it’s an extra 18 or 19 days he’s up for.
“It doesn’t fundamentally change the plan that we have for him.”
Bailey said there remained a lingering feeling of disappointment at Australia’s failure to progress to the playoff stages of last month’s T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and USA having remained undefeated through the group games.
But despite fielding a 15-man squad in which 11 players were aged 30 or above and only one – 24-year-old allrounder Cameron Green, who played just two matches – was under 25, the selection panel chair was not foreshadowing a significant revamp of personnel.
“I still think that T20 side, the foundation of it is a really, really good team,” Bailey said.
“It didn’t feel like we needed to completely rip it apart and start from scratch, there’s some world-class players that have been there and will continue to be there.
“There’s (also) some world-class players who aren’t in that (UK) squad who I imagine will get opportunities again going forward.
“But it’s also a great opportunity to start to explore some other guys and Cooper (Connolly, uncapped 20-year-old allrounder) is one who hasn’t had an opportunity.”
Qantas Tour of the UK 2024
Australia T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa
September 4: First T20 v Scotland, The Grange, Edinburgh, time TBC
September 6: Second T20 v Scotland, The Grange, Edinburgh, time TBC
September 7: Third T20 v Scotland, The Grange, Edinburgh, time TBC
September 11: First T20 v England, Rose Bowl, Southampton, 3.30am Sept 12 AEST
September 13: Second T20 v England, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, 3.30am Sept 14 AEST
September 15: Third T20 v England, Old Trafford Manchester, 11.30pm AEST
Australia ODI squad: Mitch Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa
September 19: First ODI v England, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 10pm AEST
September 21: Second ODI v England, Headingley, Leeds, 10pm AEST
September 24: Third ODI v England, Riverside, Chester-le-Street, 10pm AEST
September 27: Fourth ODI v England, Lord’s, London, 10pm AEST
September 29: Fifth ODI v England, County Ground, Bristol, 8pm AEST