Australia axe Labuschagne for Zimbabwe, South Africa ODI series
SYDNEY: Marnus Labuschagne was axed Tuesday from Australia’s one-day squad to face Zimbabwe and South Africa, but rising stars Cooper Connolly, Ollie Peake and Joel Davies made the cut.
Australia has omitted Marnus Labuschagne from their one-day squad to face Zimbabwe and South Africa, opting for rising stars Cooper Connolly, Ollie Peake, and Joel Davies. The experienced batsman, a key figure in Australia's 2023 World Cup-winning team, was dropped due to recent poor form and the uncertainty of his future as a Test player.
Australia will play three ODIs in Zimbabwe and another three in South Africa this month, followed by a three-Test series against South Africa in October. The Test squad will be announced later. With the World Cup defence just a year away, selectors have included batting talent Ollie Peake, 19, and all-rounders Joel Davies, 23, and Cooper Connolly, 23, to usher in a new generation.
Mitch Marsh, Travis Head, and Josh Hazlewood return after missing recent ODI series in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Fast bowlers Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc will only play the South African matches due to workload management. The Australia A team will also tour India later this month, featuring two four-day matches and three one-dayers against India A, with Peter Handscomb and Nathan McSweeney vying for Test spots ahead of their January-February India tour.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
