Opportunities for fringe players to push T20 World Cup ambitions as Australia name squad for West Indies and Bangladesh tours missing seven top IPL stars
Seven stars withdraw from tours of Windies, Bangladesh
Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, David Warner, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Jhye Richardson and Kane Richardson have all confirmed their withdrawal from Australia's upcoming winter tours, leaving coach Justin Langer without seven of his best players four months out from the T20 World Cup.
Selectors today confirmed a final 18-man squad for the white-ball tours of the Caribbean and Bangladesh, which will act as crucial preparation for Australia's T20 side ahead of the World Cup in October and November.
Smith has withdrawn due to an elbow injury while the six others, according to a release from Cricket Australia, "requested not to be considered for the tour for various reasons".
Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Wes Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Dan Christian, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserves: Nathan Ellils, Tanveer Sangha.
Allrounder Daniel Sams, who contracted COVID-19 in India ahead of the IPL, made himself unavailable for selection a month ago on health and wellbeing grounds.
Cummins, Maxwell, Warner, Stoinis and Jhye Richardson were released from hotel quarantine a little more than a fortnight ago following the abandonment of the IPL and Australia's subsequent border closure for all arrivals from India, which led to the Australian contingent spending more than a week in the Maldives before they could return home.
Kane Richardson left hotel quarantine around three weeks earlier than the rest of the IPL contingent after he, Adam Zampa and AJ Tye flew out of India before the federal government's travel ban had come into effect. Richardson, who has a young son, has declined to tour, while Zampa and Tye will go.
Jason Behrendorff, Moises Henriques and Riley Meredith have all agreed to tour despite also being part of the IPL contingent that recently left hotel quarantine having returned home via the Maldives.
"We are naturally disappointed not to have all players available for the Australian team at this time however the NSP (National Selection Panel) respects the decisions of those who have opted out of this tour," head selector Trevor Hohns said in a statement.
"Steve Smith was unavailable for selection due to an elbow injury and will now be able to use this time to fully recover ahead of the World Cup and home Ashes series. Steve was disappointed to miss the tour with the decision made on medical grounds."
Also in the final squad are allrounder Dan Christian and batsman Ben McDermott, who are both currently in hotel quarantine in Australia having recently arrived from county stints in the UK. Christian had headed to England from India after the IPL was suspended.
From the preliminary 29-man squad that was finalised last week, nine players have been omitted; the seven from the IPL including Smith, D'Arcy Short (who is currently in England playing T20 cricket for Hampshire) and WA allrounder Cameron Green.
Uncapped duo Tanveer Sangha and Nathan Ellis will both travel with the squad having been named as touring reserves.
The IPL experience came after all-format players like Warner and Cummins were restricted in a bio-secure bubble of some kind from late August until late January, which included multiple periods of quarantine and time away from loved ones.
With the federal government predicting Australia's border to be closed until at least next year, the prospect of more time in hotel quarantine has been enough to convince players to skip the tour.
"The pandemic is now into its second year and that has meant athletes and staff, particularly those who participate internationally, have spent lengthy periods in bio-secure hubs, where freedom of movement is restricted, and hard quarantine," Alex Kountouris, CA's Head of Sports Science and Sports Medicine, said in a statement.
"CA has maintained from the start of the pandemic that we would support players or staff members through the additional demands placed upon them by hubs and quarantine.
"We look forward to a time when hubs and quarantines are things of the past, but for now we will continue to manage the situation as best we can with the wellbeing of our people at the forefront of our decision-making."
Today's announcement means Australia will face the Windies (for five T20s and three ODIs) and Bangladesh (likely for five T20s) without four members of their top six and three of their leading fast bowlers.
Those seven players are likely to be at the World Cup later this year, meaning the tour represents a golden opportunity for those on the fringe to force their way into the squad for the showpiece event.
"International tours in the time of COVID-19 undoubtedly present many additional challenges for athletes," Hohns said. "They also present opportunities for others and, in this case, the chance to push for selection in the Australian men's T20 World Cup squad later this year and beyond.
"This is a great chance for these players to make a case for the World Cup and all are considered very real prospects of making that tournament by performing well across these tours."
The Australians will fly to the West Indies on June 28, meaning the IPL contingent will have less than a month at home before heading abroad again.
The tours of the Caribbean and Bangladesh will be followed by another 14 days of hotel quarantine upon arrival back in Australia before the national team heads overseas again ahead of the T20 World Cup in October. They would then return home for 14 more days of hotel quarantine ahead of the home summer, which is headlined by the Vodafone Ashes series against England.
It remains to be seen if Australian players will take part in the IPL when the tournament resumes in September ahead of the World Cup.
The willingness of Australia's best players to take part in two IPL tournaments involving four periods of quarantine inside 12 months – the latter during the period of player leave – is likely to reignite the 'club v country' debate, but spinner Ashton Agar said players risk being burnt out in the current climate.
"We have to look a little bit long term with it all and understand that people can't keep grinding away like that," Agar said last week.
"If you want them to have shortened careers, or really not enjoy themselves, or pull out of the game, then the best way to do that is to grind them into the ground.
"These guys are away for a very long time and unless you really put yourself in their shoes, it'd be tough to imagine the mental toll it takes on you.
"I think if anyone had to do so many stints of quarantine – a lot of these guys have done 10-12 weeks already, and COVID has been around for a year-and-a-bit now – it's a crazy amount of time just spent sitting around a hotel room with your own thoughts, without fresh air or whatever.
"They've been looked after really well in those times but for the longevity of their careers and for their own health, we need to look after them. And at times they're going to have to take a break, and that's what's happening."
Qantas Tour of the West Indies 2021
Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Wes Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Dan Christian, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserves: Nathan Ellils, Tanveer Sangha.
West Indies T20 squad: Kieron Pollard (c), Nicholas Pooran (vc), Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Fidel Edwards, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons, Kevin Sinclair, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr
First T20: July 9, Daren Sammy Stadium, St Lucia, 7.30pm (July 10, 9.30am AEST)
Second T20: July 10, Daren Sammy Stadium, St Lucia, 7.30pm (July 11 9.30am AEST)
Third T20: July 12, Daren Sammy Stadium, St Lucia, 7.30pm (July 13, 9.30am AEST)
Fourth T20: July 14, Daren Sammy Stadium, St Lucia, 7.30pm (July 15, 9.30am AEST)
Fifth T20: July 16, Daren Sammy Stadium, St Lucia, 7.30pm (July 17, 9.30am AEST)
First ODI: July 20, Kensington Oval, Barbados, 2.30pm D/N (July 21, 4.30am AEST)
Second ODI: July 22, Kensington Oval, Barbados, 2.30pm D/N (July 23, 4.30am AEST)
Third ODI: July 24, Kensington Oval, Barbados, 2.30pm D/N (July 25, 4.30am AEST)
* Five-match T20 tour of Bangladesh is yet to be confirmed. Tours are subject to agreement on bio-security arrangements and relevant government approvals.