The debrief from Australia’s failed T20 World Cup campaign didn’t include discussions about “ending” the careers of veteran players or ripping apart the team according to selection chief George Bailey.
But his first squad since Australia failed to make the finals included uncapped youngster Cooper Connolly for games against England and Scotland in the UK in September while also locking in Jake Fraser-McGurk as David Warner’s white-ball opening replacement.
West Australian all-rounder Connolly, 20, a former Australian under-19 captain, was given the nod as part for the 14-player T20 squad and is seen as a possible “finisher” who brings batting, bowling and leadership potential Bailey said selectors were keen to explore despite his limited first class exposure.
It’s a similar move to that employed last summer when Fraser-McGurk, fats bowler Xavier Bartlett and Will Sutherland were given in an ODI series against the West Indies with great effect.
Cooper and Fraser-McGurk will join nine players from the squad which failed to make the World Cup semi-finals, including captain Mitch Marsh who will take over the ODI side in the absence of Pat Cummins.
Ashton Agar and veteran Matthew Wade “missed selection” for both squads, with Cummins to miss the entire UK tour, which features 11 matches, in line with a “pre-planned, long-term load management strategy”.
But Bailey said the squad didn’t need much a of revamp and this was more of an opportunity to “explore some other guys”.
“I still think that T20 side, the foundation of it is a really really good team, it didn’t feel like we needed to completely rip it apart and star from scratch,” he said on Monday.
“There are some world class players that are there and will continue to be there. There are some world class players who aren’t in the squad who I imagine will get opportunities again going forward. But also it’s a great opportunity to start to explore some other guys.”
Connolly is one of those guys, include despite playing just 15 Big Bash games for the Perth Scorchers.
“We haven’t had that manly bolters for a little while. He’s an exciting young talent,” Bailey said.
“He hasn’t played a great many games of cricket but we really like his versatility. His work through the middle order for the Scorchers has been impressive, and handy left-arm spin as well which as a secondary skill is something we are keen to keep exploring.”
Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell will miss the T20 matches but rejoin for the ODI series in the build-up towards next year’s Champions Trophy and remain firmly in Bailey’s future plans.
“Certainly for Glenn and Mitch, the one-day Champions Trophy is very much on the horizon … that’s something we have them lined up for,” he said.
“As far as ending players, or seeing where guys might finish up, we haven’t had those conversations.”
Matt Short, who with Fraser-McGurk was an unused reserve batter at the World Cup, will also miss the T20 games for the birth of his first child while Spencer Johnson, Aaron Hardie and Xavier Bartlett return
Bailey also defended the decision to rest Cummins from the entire tour as part of a pre-planned, long-term load management strategy” while allowing the Test and ODI captain to play T20 cricket in the US this month.
“This is something we have been planning for him and with him for about 12 months, looking at the series we are prioritising, and how important he is for us as a leader,” Bailey said.
“This was the gap. The MLC opportunity came up late.
“As far as the plan goes, it’s effectively an extra 18 or 19 days that he is up for, it doesn’t fundamentally change the plan we have for him. Certainly in terms of building him up and getting him ready for the Australian summer … it’s really busy.”
Steve Smith, who is smashing T20 runs in the US, was included in the 16-player ODI squad and Alex Carey has been recalled having not played an ODI since October 2023 but purely as the back-up keeper for No.1 choice Josh Inglis.
The tour, with T20s against Scotland before both T20s and ODIs against England is a replacement for the planned three-ODI, one T20I visit of Ireland which was cancelled after the hosts withdrew for financial reasons.
It will be the first time Australia has played in Scotland since an ODI in 2013.
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.
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.
Originally published as Cooper Connolly included in Australian T20 squad as Jake Fraser-McGurk confirmed as Australian white-ball opener for UK tour