Melbourne: All-rounders Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh were Thursday named in Australia’s 16-member squad for the next month’s three-match ODI series in India along with pacer Jhye Richadson.
The trio will make its long-awaited return to international cricket alongside Pat Cummins, David Warner, and Ashton Agar, who has also been named in the squad.
The upcoming three ODIs will be played in Mumbai March 17, Visakhapatnam March 19 and Chennai March 22.
Cummins returned home after the second Test in Delhi due to family illness, while Agar was released from the touring squad to play in domestic cricket. Warner, on the other hand, has been ruled out of the remaining two Tests due to an elbow injury.
Cummins, however, is set to return ahead of the third Test to be held in Indore from March 1.
Maxwell and Marsh both sat out of the game for a considerable amount of time after undergoing surgeries for broken leg and ankle injury respectively.
Maxwell, who broke his leg in a freak accident in November, has returned to the game only the last week while Marsh last featured in the three-match ODI series against England in November last year.
But pacer Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the ODIs as well after returning home from the Test series, failing to recover from his Achilles tendonitis.
Richardson, who has recovered from his soft tissue injuries, has been out of the game since the limited-overs tour to Sri Lanka in the middle of last year.
“It would be great for Josh to be part of this series but we have taken a conservative view ahead of a very important winter in England of which he will be an integral part,” Australia’s selection chief George Bailey said while announcing the squad.
Cummins will continue to lead Australia in the ODIs after Aaron Finch’s retirement in October last year.
Travis Head is expected to partner Warner at the top in the ODIs.
Marnus Labuschagne, Adam Zampa, Cameron Green, Marcus Stoinis, Steve Smith, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey and pace duo of Sean Abbott and Mitchell Starc are the other members of the squad.
The three-match rubber is one of two bilateral ODI series Australia is set to play in India before the 50-over World Cup to be held there in October-November this year. The other series between the two sides is scheduled for September just prior to the World Cup.
“With the World Cup just over seven months away, these matches in India are an important step in our preparation,” Bailey said.
“Glenn (Maxwell), Mitchell (Marsh), and Jhye (Richardson) are all important players in what we think the squad might look like come October.”
Australia ODI squad: Pat Cummins(c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa.
