Mitchell Owen’s quick rise in the T20 side has been rewarded with a first one-day international call-up, Australia naming the 23-year-old in a 15-player squad to meet South Africa in Darwin and Cairns next month. Fast bowler Lance Morris also returns, the selectors keen to have a bit more pace on hand after a winter spent managing his back.
Travis Head and Josh Hazlewood, both rested for the recent West Indies trip, slot straight back into the ODI and T20 groups. Matt Short is over the side strain that ruled him out of the Caribbean, while Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc continue their scheduled rest ahead of a busy home summer. With the senior quicks still on the sidelines, Mitchell Marsh keeps the one-day captaincy.
Owen impressed against West Indies – 125 runs at a strike-rate nudging 193, including a punchy half-century on debut in Jamaica – and the Tasmanian’s domestic form hardly hurt his cause. That 149 from 69 balls in last season’s One-Day Cup is still doing the rounds on social media and, frankly, in selector memory too.
Head coach Andrew McDonald hinted in the Caribbean that Marnus Labuschagne would hold onto his 50-over spot despite slipping out of the Test XI. So it is: Labuschagne stays, lending the middle order a touch of glue in what is otherwise a fairly brisk batting line-up.
Not everyone who white-washed the West Indies survives. Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Cooper Connolly and Xavier Bartlett all drop out of the T20 squad, though Bartlett is kept on for the ODIs. Selection chief George Bailey suggested the cull was more about balancing numbers than performance.
“As we build towards the T20 World Cup the flexibility and depth shown in the West Indies, outside of the obvious results, has been a huge positive,” Bailey said. “The flexibility within the batting order and ability of bowlers to bowl in different stages of the innings were particularly pleasing to see.”
He added: “Mitch Owen and Matt Kuhnemann making their respective debuts and the preparation and work done by Nathan Ellis to allow him to play all five matches were highlights.”
From the Champions Trophy squad in March, Sean Abbott, Tanveer Sangha, and the injured Spencer Johnson are among those missing, while Steven Smith and Glenn Maxwell have since retired from the format. It leaves things feeling a little light on experience, but that also grants room for newer faces to cement roles before next year’s Champions Trophy defence.
Morris brings raw speed – he regularly ticks past 150kph – yet has managed only one ODI so far, in Lahore last November. The medical staff have kept a wary eye on his workload, though the Western Australian showed last season he can string matches together: 13 wickets in four Sheffield Shield games and 15 in eight BBL outings for Perth Scorchers.
“The smaller squad for a home series, along with the return of Travis Head and Josh Hazlewood, see some players not part of the squad for this Top End series, but all remain in the frame moving forward and we feel the entire group embraced every opportunity,” Bailey said. “We expect that to continue through this series, and the New Zealand and Indian series that follow.”
South Africa’s visit begins with three T20s, followed by three ODIs, all under northern skies where conditions can be tacky, the white ball sometimes grippier than expected. Spinners – Short’s off-breaks, Adam Zampa’s leg-spin – could therefore play a slightly larger role than they might in, say, Perth in December.
Australia T20I squad
Mitchell Marsh (capt), Travis Head, David Warner, Matthew Wade (wk), Mitchell Owen, Matt Short, Tim David, Marcus Stoinis, Matt Kuhnemann, Adam Zampa, Nathan Ellis, Lance Morris, Josh Hazlewood
Australia ODI squad
Mitchell Marsh (capt), Travis Head, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Owen, Matt Short, Alex Carey (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa, Matt Kuhnemann, Lance Morris, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Cameron Green
The selectors will hope the blend of established senior figures and newer, freer hitters gives them a clearer idea of their pecking order by the time India arrive in October. For now, the talking point is Owen: less than a month ago few had him pencilled in for a World Cup push, yet here he is, top order notebook material and, if the last year is any guide, not shy of making the most of an opening.
