Australia have named three debutants and rested their frontline fast bowlers for next month’s white-ball swing through Pakistan and Bangladesh, with Under-19 captain Ollie Peake the headline inclusion.
Selectors have split the six-match tour into three separate squads, mindful of an IPL overlap and a demanding Test calendar ahead. Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc will stay at the IPL, skipping both ODI series as well as the three T20s in Dhaka. Mitchell Marsh, already the T20 skipper, will lead the ODI sides in Cummins’ absence.
Peake, 19, boards the plane only for the Pakistan ODIs (31 May-4 June) before returning home when IPL-based players re-enter for Bangladesh. South Australia all-rounder Liam Scott and Sydney Sixers left-arm spinner Joel Davies also collect first caps; Scott features in both ODI squads, Davies in the Pakistan ODIs and Bangladesh T20s.
“It’s always exciting to see new players get an opportunity to play international cricket and be a part of the national team,. The blend of experienced players coupled with new or returning players will provide a nice mix for these subcontinent tours” George Bailey said, the chief selector backing the decision to experiment.
Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis are the notable omissions from the T20 squad despite being free of IPL commitments. Both retired from 50-over cricket last year and now sit outside Australia’s first-choice T20 plans. Steven Smith, another recent ODI retiree, remains on the T20 fringes too, even after a late, unused call-up at the recent World Cup.
Cameron Green and Josh Inglis appear in all three squads, their IPL franchises already out of the play-offs. Travis Head, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis and Xavier Bartlett will only miss the Pakistan leg while their franchises chase the IPL trophy, before linking up in Bangladesh.
Among the bowlers, Tasmania quick Billy Stanlake returns to international duty for the first time since 2019, but only for Pakistan. Left-armer Spencer Johnson rejoins for the T20s once Dwarshuis departs. As cover, Riley Meredith stays with the group throughout, officially listed for just the Pakistan ODIs and Bangladesh T20s.
Aaron Hardie’s superb PSL earned him a recall for the Bangladesh T20s, yet he has been left out of both ODI parties. Matt Short, recently cut from his central contract and dropped on the eve of the T20 World Cup, joins Stanlake in a Pakistan-only capacity.
Josh Philippe is another single-format pick, set to keep wicket in the three Bangladesh T20s. Selectors like the additional hitting he offers down the order, though Alex Carey retains the gloves for both 50-over legs.
Australia’s schedule means most players will spend no more than four matches on tour, a deliberate attempt to manage workloads before consecutive home summers book-ended by an away Ashes. Bailey accepted the chopping and changing may look untidy but argued it is unavoidable. “The calendar’s tight,” he noted off-mic in a briefing. “Taking three separate groups is messy, yes, but it stops our quicks crashing by November.”
Pakistan’s wickets should be flat and quick in early June, giving Peake and Scott a friendly entry into senior cricket. Peake, a compact left-hander who averages 46 in age-group one-dayers, has long been earmarked for higher honours, while Scott’s skate-shoe style seamers have taken 19 List A wickets at 23 this season.
Davies, strong through the off side and clever through the air, could be the more intriguing punt in Bangladesh, where pitches traditionally grip. His control at the death for the Sixers this summer impressed Marsh, who lobbied for his inclusion.
Maxwell’s absence will draw headlines, yet insiders insist no door is closed. The Victorian is coming off a lean IPL and World Cup, and both he and Stoinis have chance to force their way back via the winter T20 Blast or the Hundred if they choose. For now, Bailey says, “fresh eyes” were preferred.
With three matches apiece in each country, Australia have just enough cricket to blood rookies without overexposing them. Marsh admitted the rolling squads could still look “scrappy” on paper but sensed an opportunity. “You rarely get a clean slate like this,” he told local radio. “Different faces can reshape how we finish games.”
Pakistan ODI series: 31 May, 2 June, 4 June (all Karachi)
Bangladesh ODI series: 9 June, 12 June, 14 June (Chattogram)
Bangladesh T20I series: 17 June, 19 June, 22 June (Dhaka)
Squads in brief
ODIs v Pakistan: Marsh (c), Green, Inglis (wk), Peake, Short, Stanlake, Scott, Davies, Dwarshuis, Meredith, Carey (wk), et al.
ODIs v Bangladesh: Marsh (c), Head, Connolly, Bartlett, Green, Inglis (wk), Carey (wk), Scott, Dwarshuis, et al.
T20Is v Bangladesh: Marsh (c), Green, Inglis (wk), Head, Connolly, Hardie, Davies, Johnson, Meredith, Bartlett, Philippe (wk).
A complicated puzzle, then, but one Australia hope keeps bodies fresh and options open before a mammoth run of red-ball cricket.
