Australia will begin the three-match ODI series against India without two regular faces, after leg-spinner Adam Zampa stayed home for the imminent birth of his second child and keeper-batter Josh Inglis failed to beat a calf strain. Left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann and wicketkeeper Josh Philippe have been called in for Sunday’s fixture at Perth Stadium.
Zampa’s decision was straightforward. Perth is an awkward base from which to dash back to northern New South Wales at short notice, and his wife Harriet is “in the late stages of pregnancy”, according to a Cricket Australia media note. The 32-year-old is expected to re-join the squad for the Adelaide and Sydney ODIs, both closer to home, and he remains in the plans for the five-match T20I series that follows on the east coast.
Kuhnemann, 25, has hardly stopped travelling this year. He has been in Australia squads for tours of the Caribbean, New Zealand and South Africa, the World Test Championship final and the recent home T20Is—all for a single appearance, the second T20I against West Indies in Kingston back in July. Sunday should bring his first ODI on Australian soil, three years after a debut series in Sri Lanka. Domestic form is slim but encouraging: three Marsh Cup outings for Tasmania and a lively, unbeaten 56 in the season opener.
Inglis, meanwhile, remains hampered by the calf problem picked up during a running session four weeks ago. The timeline always looked tight and medical staff decided he would not be risked. “We’re happy with the progress but he needs a little longer yet,” team physio Nick Jones said on Friday.
Philippe, 28, therefore moves from the Sheffield Shield circuit into the ODI XI, where he is poised to keep for the first time after three previous appearances as a specialist batter in 2021. Alex Carey, Australia’s preferred keeper in all white-ball formats, will sit out the Perth match to play Shield cricket for South Australia against Queensland, a nod to his Ashes preparation. He returns for the second ODI in Adelaide.
Selector George Bailey said the juggling act was inevitable at this stage of the calendar. “A few of our players have heavy multi-format programmes, and we’ve got to manage workloads without compromising performance,” he explained. “Matt and Josh have both been around the group all winter, so they slot straight in.”
The same logic applies to Cameron Green. The all-rounder is set to feature in Perth and Adelaide, but may skip the Sydney ODI on 25 October to turn out for Western Australia in a Shield match that begins three days later. Bowling will be limited in the first two ODIs—he sent down only four overs in WA’s opener last week—with a planned increase during the Shield game.
Reports of “player fatigue” have circulated, yet the mood inside the group is calm. As one support-staffer put it, “These are good problems: guys pushing hard for spots, life events being respected, and everyone still ready to play India on Sunday.”
Probable Australia squad for Perth
David Warner, Travis Head, Steven Smith (capt), Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Philippe (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis.
The opening ODI begins at 11:20 am local time on 13 October.
