Australia have arrived in Dhaka for their white-ball series against Bangladesh, comprising three One Day Internationals and three Twenty20 Internationals. Preparation for the tour began yesterday. However, the visitors will be without key batter Travis Head and ODI captain Mitchell Marsh, while leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha has also been ruled out.
Head, who was expected to travel to Bangladesh after completing the Indian Premier League and a short rest period, has taken leave from Cricket Australia due to personal reasons. Marsh is unavailable for the ODI series as he continues to recover from an ankle injury that has not fully healed. Sangha has been sidelined after suffering a hamstring injury during the Pakistan tour.
To replace the absent players, Australia have included Matt Short, Ollie Peake and Todd Murphy in the squad.
Australia’s white-ball players began arriving in Dhaka last Tuesday. The first group consisted of members returning from the Pakistan tour, followed by another contingent travelling from Australia. Neither Marsh nor Head was part of the travelling group.
Cricket Australia selector Tony Dodemaide confirmed that Head had originally been named in both the ODI and T20 squads. However, he was later granted leave for personal reasons. He added that Head remains in contention for the upcoming home Test series against Bangladesh in August.
On Marsh’s condition, Dodemaide stated that the captain requires additional time to regain full fitness from his ankle injury. He will, however, join the squad in Dhaka and begin preparations for the T20 series.
In Marsh and Head’s absence, wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis will continue to serve as interim captain, as he did during the Pakistan tour. Regular ODI captain Pat Cummins has also been rested for the Bangladesh series. If Marsh does not recover in time, Inglis is expected to lead the T20 side as well.
Matt Short and Ollie Peake were initially selected only for the ODI series against Pakistan but have now been retained for the Bangladesh tour. Off-spinner Todd Murphy has been drafted in for the first time at this level, replacing Tanveer Sangha.
The ODI series begins in Dhaka tomorrow, while the first match of the three-match T20 series is scheduled for 17 June in Chattogram.
Australia Squads for Bangladesh Tour
| Format | Squad |
|---|---|
| ODI | Josh Inglis (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Todd Murphy, Ollie Peake, Matthew Renshaw, Liam Scott, Matt Short, Adam Zampa |
| T20I | Mitchell Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Adam Zampa |