Marnus Labuschagne named in Australia A white-ball squad following World Cup omission

Melbourne [Australia], August 9 (ANI): Following his omission from Australia’s ICC Cricket World Cup squad, Marnus Labuschagne will get a chance to make an impact as he will be in Australia ‘A’ one-day team for three ODI series against New Zealand starting next month. 

Labuschange, though he remains in good touch as a Test batter, has been battling a lean patch in the ODI format since 2022. Last year in 14 innings, he scored 331 runs at an average of 25.46, with three fifties in 14 innings. This year, he has just managed 43 runs in two innings. 

Labuschagne joins other fringe white-ball players like Ben McDermott, Josh Philippe and Ashton Turner in the Australia A squad, as per cricket.com.au.

The squad also features Matthew Short, the reigning Big Bash League Player of the Tournament, who is in line for T20I debut on tour against South Africa starting later this month. 

Test off-spinner Todd Murphy also is included in the white-ball squad with Victoria allrounder Will Sutherland and rising NSW talent Ollie Davies. The trio managed to impress national selector George Bailey while playing for their states in white-ball cricket. 

The Australia A series, which will have matches in Brisbane and Mackay, also features two four-day contests against NZ A, with top-order Cameron Bancroft being given a chance to make an impact and present himself as David Warner’s long-term replacement at the top, who has flagged that he will retire after the Sydney Test against Pakistan early next year. 

Matthew Renshaw is another opening candidate endorsed by veteran Warner himself. But he will miss out on first-class cricket matches and will play ODI games. Renshaw had smashed back-to-back tons against NZ A in April across Tasman that was played with Dukes ball as a pre-Ashes preparation. 

Bancroft will be playing as an opener alongside rising Tasmania opener Tim Ward, another batter who has dominated across the Tasman this year with scores of 63, 75 and 67no.

The 25-year-old Ward is in Chennai getting a taste of cricket in India as a part of a group that will be training and playing at MRF Academy over the next fortnight. 

Ward is a part of nine players that featured in A series across Tasman in April, which also includes Wes Agar, Jordan Buckingham, Caleb Jewell, Campbell Kellaway Nathan McSweeney, Mitch Perry and Queensland’s veteran wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson.

Leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson and Matthew Kuhnemann have been included in the A squad as well and will make first-class appearances. 

The four-day squad has new faces like Josh Phillipe, South Australia allrounder Nathan McAndrew, WA’s Matthew Kelly and fast bowling pair Mark Steketee and Ben Dwarshuis.

Players who were included in the Australia tour of the UK which concluded recently or who played a lot of cricket in winter were not considered for selection. That explains the absence of Marcus Harris, another opener who is in line to replace Warner as Test opener. He was included in the Ashes squad but did not play a match. 

“The squad contains some players who have put up some excellent state cricket performances, along with several emerging players we believe have exciting future in international cricket,” Bailey said in a statement.

“With seven Tests this summer (including two in New Zealand in February and March 2024), this is an important time to continue to build depth through our red ball squads.”

“It is equally exciting to expose some of our best-developing talents to international opposition in one-day cricket as we enter a new World Cup cycle.”

Also, Western Australia’s Adam Voges will be coaching the Australia A squad, with former skipper Tim Paine assisting in the first four-day match as a part of his foray into coaching since his retirement. 

*Australia A v New Zealand A series

First four-day match: August 28-31, Allan Border Field

Second four-day match: September 4-7, Great Barrier Reef Arena (D/N)

Australia A four-day squad: Wes Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jordan Buckingham, Ben Dwarshuis, Caleb Jewell, Campbell Kellaway, Matthew Kelly, Matthew Kuhnemann, Nathan McAndrew, Nathan McSweeney, Joel Paris, Jimmy Peirson, Mitch Perry, Josh Philippe, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, Tim Ward

First one-dayer: September 10, Great Barrier Reef Arena

Second one-dayer: September 13, Allan Border Field (D/N)

Third one-dayer: September 15, Allan Border Field

Australia A one-day squad: Wes Agar, Ollie Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Liam Hatcher, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Ben McDermott, Todd Murphy, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Gurinder Sandhu, Matt Short, Mark Steketee, Will Sutherland, Ashton Turner.