Australia has announced its team for the ICC One-Day World Cup taking place in India from October 5th to November 19th.
Despite grappling with an injury, Pat Cummins will lead the team. He suffered this injury during the fifth test match in Oval.
The preliminary squad of 18 members includes all-rounder Aaron Hardie and spinner Tanveer Sangha.
The most surprising decision was not including Marnus Labuschagne, who has been the number-1 batsman in test cricket.
While Australia has picked 18 players, only 15 of them will be part of the final squad. As per ICC regulations, all 10 teams need to finalize their 15-player list by September 28th. Australia’s first match in the World Cup will be against host India in Chennai on October 8th.
Australia’s 18-Member World Cup Team:
- Pat Cummins (Captain)
- Sean Abbott
- Ashton Agar
- Alex Carey
- Nathan Ellis
- Cameron Green
- Aaron Hardie
- Josh Hazlewood
- Travis Head
- Josh Inglis
- Mitchell Marsh
- Glenn Maxwell
- Tanveer Sangha
- Steve Smith
- Mitchell Starc
- Marcus Stoinis
- David Warner
- Adam Zampa
The chief selector, George Bailey, revealed that Cummins has a fracture in his left wrist and will need six weeks of rehab. Bailey believes rest before the start of the tournament will benefit Cummins. To prepare for the World Cup, Australia will play a five-match one-day series against South Africa next month, potentially giving opportunities to players like Tanveer and Hardie.