Aussies name huge 26-player group with eye on UK tour

Uncapped trio Daniel Sams, Riley Meredith and Josh Philippe are among a preliminary list of 26 players named today by national selectors as Australia's men's team looks towards a return to on-field action.

Australia's next assignment is yet to be confirmed, although Cricket Australia and the England & Wales Cricket Board are in discussions about a limited-overs series in the UK in September.

With that in mind, selectors have identified 26 players of interest, a large group that will help cover a range of contingencies for a possible England tour, which will likely be played in a bio-secure 'bubble', meaning replacement players won't be able to be drafted in.

A final squad will be named if and when the tour is confirmed.

Australia's preliminary squad: Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Michael Neser, Josh Philippe, Daniel Sams, D’Arcy Short, Kane Richardson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.

KFC BBL stars Sams, Meredith and Philippe have all been named, flagging them as players of interest leading into the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Other notable names on the list of 26 are Glenn Maxwell, who hasn't played for Australia since October, as well as batsmen Travis Head and Usman Khawaja, who have recently been out of favour in white-ball cricket.

Paceman Andrew Tye has also been named despite not being offered a state contract by Western Australia for this season.

Victoria's Peter Handscomb and veterans Shaun Marsh and Nathan Coulter-Nile, who were all part of Australia's World Cup campaign last year, were all overlooked while WA pace duo Jhye Richardson and Jason Behrendorff were not considered due to injury.

Other players of note to have not been named are Test quick James Pattinson, recent ODI and T20 squad member Ashton Turner and domestic stars like Cameron Green, Daniel Hughes, Nathan Ellis and Jono Wells.

Ben Oliver, CA's Executive General Manager of National Teams, said while officials are still working through the logistics of touring England, the announcement of a 26-man group of players gives everyone some much-needed clarity.

"The ECB are a long-standing and valued international cricket partner and we are doing all we can to give the tour the best possible chance of taking place," he said.

"We continue to work with the ECB and government agencies and a decision on the tour will be made in due course.

"In the meantime, the identification of a preliminary list will enable us to work with players and states more directly on the preparation for the tour in the hope it can proceed.

"The health and wellbeing of players and staff, along with our commitment to public health within our communities, remain our utmost priority."

A short tour consisting of three ODIs and three T20s was originally scheduled for this month but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

If the tour goes ahead, it would likely require players and coaches to be quarantined in hubs during the series – like the England and West Indies players are currently – while members of the touring party may also need to quarantine when they return to Australia.

"This preliminary list covers the contingencies of playing One-Day Internationals and T20 Internationals in bio-secure hubs with the likely prospect of not being able to bring in replacements should the tour proceed," selector Trevor Hohns said.

"The preliminary list includes several exciting young players who have recently excelled at state level and in the BBL. These emerging players are those we would like to develop further as we believe they have a bright future in Australian cricket.

"The preliminary list also has a view towards the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup and in the longer term the 2023 ICC World Cup."

Australia's preliminary squad: Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Michael Neser, Josh Philippe, Daniel Sams, D’Arcy Short, Kane Richardson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.