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| World champion Australia has an opportunity to get into its groove ahead of ODI series against England |
Steven Smith, who was named Australia’s captain or all formats following Michael Clarke’s retirement, will officially take over full-time. With as many as three uncapped players in the 14-man squad, Australia would hope to starve off complacency in what promises to be a good opportunity in the build-up to the ODI series against England.
Matthew Wade replaces Brad Haddin, who retired after the World Cup, while Joe Burns, who had a good tour of India with the Australia A squad, replaces the injured Aaron Finch at the top of the order. The uncapped Marcus Stounis, the allrounder, is also in the mix and could be handed a debut in the absence of the suspended James Faulkner. Ashton Agar, picked ahead of the in-form Nathan Lyon, makes a return to the squad after two years.
The pace attack will be spearheaded by Mitchell Starc, even as Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood have been sent home ahead of the upcoming domestic season. Despite losing his place in the Test side, Shane Watson remains a vital cog in the ODI setup alongside Glenn Maxwell.
Ireland, seeking to play more regularly against the big teams, would hope to build on its World Cup gains, where it beat the West Indies and Zimbabwe. A good showing against Australia would only help it build a side for the future.
William Porterfield, who leads the 13-man squad, now teams up with John Bracewell, who has taken over as head coach following the resignation of Phil Simmons.
Ireland will be without Alex Cusack, the experienced allrounder, who called time on his international career last month. That means a younger player has an opportunity to step up, which will augers well for Ireland cricket.
Teams (from)
Ireland: William Porterfield (capt), Andrew Balbirnie, George Dockrell, Ed Joyce, John Mooney, Tim Murtagh, Andrew McBrine, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Gary Wilson, Craig Young.
Australia: Steven Smith (capt), Ashton Agar, George Bailey, Joe Burns, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, Shane Watson, David Warner.
Source: ICC