Cooper Connolly gets Australia call-up, Jake Fraser-McGurk included in Scotland v England tour

Australia will play three T20Is against Scotland and England from the start of September and the team is showing the beginning of a change from the team that exited the last T20 World Cup in the Super Eights. The ODI squad is stable as it heads into next year’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

“It’s been a while since we’ve had a lot of bolters,” said national selector George Bailey. “He’s got an exciting young talent. He hasn’t played many games yet, but we really like his versatility, his work in the middle for the Scorchers has been fantastic. Left-arm spin and as a second skill is something we’re keen to keep exploring and see where that goes with his cricket.”

Cummins is currently among a group of Australians taking part in the MLC but Bailey said missing out on the tour had been planned for almost 12 months with an eye to the tight schedule that comes with the start of the domestic summer.

“He has a few things he wants to work on physically,” Bailey explained. “He’s had a lot of cricket in the past and this is an opportunity to be at the top of that and prepare him for the next time, to manage that. MLC’s opportunity came late, [and] as far as the program goes it’s 18 or 19 days that we’re still committed to, [so] it doesn’t fundamentally change the plan we had for him.”

Of those who were playing in the West Indies last month, Ashton Agar and Matthew Wade have been removed from the T20I squad and David Warner has retired.

Fraser-McGurk’s inclusion was expected and now he has a chance to prove himself as Warner’s successor at the top of the order in both limited overs formats. He is yet to make his T20I debut but played two ODIs against West Indies last season.

Alex Carey is back in the ODI squad as the understudy to Inglis who lost his place in the playing XI during the World Cup last year.

The T20Is against Scotland, which replaced the tour of Ireland which was canceled by the players due to financial reasons, will be held on September 4, 6 and 7. Three T20Is against England will follow on September 11, 13 and 15 followed by five ODIs.

Team Australia T20 I vs Scotland and England

Mitchell Marsh (capt), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Spencer Johnson, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Australia ODI team vs England

Mitchell Marsh (capt), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis (wk), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa