Brisbane Heat rising stars Mitch Swepson, Brendon Doggett, Matthew Renshaw and Marnus Labuschagne are set to take the next big step in their careers with selection today for Australia ‘A’.
Labuschagne and Doggett will make their debuts for the ‘A’ team, which will tour India in August and September playing four day and one-day matches.
Cricket Australia (CA) today announced two 14-player squads to play a one-day tri-series against India A and South Africa A in Vijayawada – with two matches against each opponent, plus a final – followed by two four-day matches against India A in Vizag.
Test opener Renshaw, Labuschagne and Doggett were first season players for the Heat last summer while Swepson will tour England and Zimbabwe later in June as part of the Australian T20 Squad.
There is a distinct Queensland flavor in the squads, with Queensland Bulls players Billy Stanlake, Michael Neser, Jack Wildermuth and Usman Khawaja also named for the tours.
Renshaw, Neser, Khawaja and Swepson have been named in both the one-day and four-day squads while Labuschagne, the 2016-17 Matador Cup player of the year, will play in the one-day line-up.
Doggett, who claimed five wickets in the JLT Sheffield Shield Final, will prepare for his ‘A’ series debut by touring the United Kingdom with the Australian Indigenous Men’s squad next month that will retrace the path of the historic pioneering 1868 Aboriginal tour of England.
South Australia’s Travis Head will captain the one-day team, while Western Australia’s Mitch Marsh will lead the four-day side. South Australia wicket-keeper batsman Alex Carey will be vice-captain for both squads.
Australia A One-Day Squad
Travis Head (C) South Australia
Alex Carey (VC) South Australia
Ashton Agar Western Australia
Peter Handscomb Victoria
Usman Khawaja Queensland
Marnus Labuschagne Queensland
Michael Neser Queensland
Matthew Renshaw Queensland
Jhye Richardson Western Australia
D’Arcy Short Western Australia
Billy Stanlake Queensland
Mitch Swepson Queensland
Chris Tremain Victoria
Jack Wildermuth Queensland
Australia A Four-Day Squad
Mitch Marsh (C) Western Australia
Alex Carey (VC) South Australia
Ashton Agar Western Australia
Brendan Doggett Queensland
Peter Handscomb Victoria
Travis Head South Australia
Jon Holland Victoria
Usman Khawaja Queensland
Michael Neser Queensland
Joel Paris Western Australia
Kurtis Patterson New South Wales
Matthew Renshaw Queensland
Mitch Swepson Queensland
Chris Tremain Victoria
Selectors have chosen a wealth of players with international experience in at least one format for Australia, with just six players – Queensland’s Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Jack Wildermuth, Brendan Doggett and Mitch Swepson, plus New South Wales’ Kurtis Patterson – yet to play for Australia. Neser, Swepson and Wildermuth will all have the chance to be capped for Australia on the upcoming tour of England (ODI & T20) and Zimbabwe (T20).
National Selector Trevor Hohns said:
“We’re really pleased with the squads we have assembled for this tour,” Hohns said.
“We’ve got a couple of really experienced international cricketers, a large group who have had a taste of playing for Australia already, and some emerging players who have performed strongly and we believe have the potential to one day play for their country.
“It’s an extremely important tour, as we look for players who can adapt and find ways to excel in sub-continent conditions.
“With Australia’s series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates fast approaching, it’s a chance for some players to push for selection for that series, and for all players to gain experience in sub-continent conditions.”
Speaking on the appointment of captains Travis Head and Mitch Marsh, and vice-captain Alex Carey, Hohns said:
“We’re looking for leaders for future Australian teams, and Travis, Mitch and Alex are all very impressive young men,” Hohns said.
“Travis and Mitch both have captaincy experience at state level, and this is an exciting opportunity for them to lead a new group of players in different conditions.
“Alex, as our Twenty20 vice-captain in the UK and Zimbabwe, is also someone we rate very highly as a leader, and this is another opportunity for him to develop those skills.”
Only two players selected have yet to feature in either an Australia or Australia A squad – emerging Indigenous fast bowler Brendan Doggett and batsman Marnus Labuschagne, both from Queensland.
“Marnus and Brendan both came through the National Performance Squad program last year, and performed strongly for Queensland last summer.
"Brendan is an exciting fast bowler with genuine pace, who has impressed with his wicket-taking ability in the Sheffield Shield. Marnus has put together some really good performances with the bat over the past 12 months, particularly at one-day level.”
Fixtures
One-Day Matches - Vijayawada
17 August v India A
19 August v South Africa A
23 August v India A
25 August v South Africa A
29 August – Tri-Series Final
Four-Day Matches - Vizag
2 – 5 September v India A
8 – 11 September v India A
