Marnus Labuschagne will sit out Australia’s three-match one-day series in India later this month, with fellow Queenslander Matt Renshaw handed a first genuine shot at the 50-over format.
The decision is hardly a bolt from the blue. Labuschagne’s last ten ODI knocks have produced just 211 runs, the best of them 47, and he was close to missing August’s trip to South Africa until Matt Short withdrew with a side strain. The upside, at least for him, is more Sheffield Shield time – he has already opened the campaign with 160 against Tasmania – while he keeps one eye on a Test recall.
Renshaw, 29 next month, has forced his way in through relentless List A returns. Since late 2021 he averages a tick under 50, six of his seven hundreds arriving in that period, including a fluent century for Australia A against Sri Lanka in Darwin during the winter. In red-ball cricket he now opens, but in the shorter form he has thrived at No. 3 and No. 4 and, more recently, as a middle-order hitter in the BBL. He was picked for the 2022 Pakistan ODIs yet never took the field; this time feels different.
Mitchell Starc rejoins a near full-strength squad after almost a year away from ODIs. The left-armer missed the South Africa tour with groin soreness but bowled at close to full tilt in Sydney last week and is expected to play all three matches.
Alex Carey will miss the opener in Perth so he can turn out for South Australia in the Shield’s second round – selectors were keen he banked red-ball time before the Test summer. Josh Inglis has shaken off the calf strain that ruled him out of the New Zealand T20s and is available for both formats.
The initial T20 party, named only for the first two games against India, reflects a juggling act. Multi-format regulars may be rested later in the series to focus on Shield or simple downtime before the Ashes. Glenn Maxwell is still sidelined by the broken wrist suffered on the eve of the New Zealand trip.
Cameron Green, managing a hefty workload, will play the ODIs but skip the T20s, aiming instead for two domestic four-dayers with Western Australia.
All-rounder Cooper Connolly keeps his spot after a tidy South Africa tour – his 5 for 22 in Mackay impressed the panel – and a solid Australia A stint in India where he posted two fifties in three outings. Fellow youngster Mitchell Owen, concussed before the South Africa series, is fit again and pushing for a debut.
Explaining the twin squads, chair of selectors George Bailey said: “We have named a squad for the ODI series and first two games of the T20 series as there will be some management through the back end of the series as individuals prepare for the summer through Sheffield Shield cricket. The majority of the T20 squad will remain together as it’s an important period in the build towards the World Cup next year, however we are trying to strike a balance to ensure we simultaneously prepare certain individuals for the Test series ahead.”
Australia ODI squad: Pat Cummins (capt), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Matt Renshaw, Matt Short, Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Owen.
Australia T20 squad (first two matches): Cummins, Abbott, Connolly, Inglis (wk), Maxwell (inj – out), Short, Stoinis, Warner, Zampa – further names to be confirmed.
The ODI series begins in Perth on 18 October, followed by fixtures in Adelaide and Brisbane.
