Cricket Australia (CA) have named dynamic top-order batter Jake Fraser-McGurk and pacer Xavier Bartlett in their squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against the West Indies, beginning on July 20 in Kingston, Jamaica.
The pair come in as replacements for fast bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Spencer Johnson.
Hazlewood will return home following his involvement in four back-to-back Test matches, as he gears up for next month’s white-ball series against South Africa. Johnson, meanwhile, continues to recover from a back injury sustained during the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Australia will also be without key players Pat Cummins, Travis Head, and Mitchell Starc for the T20I leg, as the trio are set to fly home after wrapping up the Test series.
There’s a possibility Hazlewood may feature in a few Sheffield Shield games for New South Wales in the lead-up to the home Ashes series later this year. Australia’s all-format players are managing their workloads carefully, with the Ashes and an upcoming white-ball tour of India in mind.
Fraser-McGurk, who returns to the T20I squad, has played seven matches so far, scoring 113 runs at an average of 16.14. While yet to make a major impact in ODIs, the young batter remains a promising prospect.
Bartlett has made a strong impression in his limited international outings, claiming 22 wickets in nine appearances, including eight in his first two ODIs. Both he and Fraser-McGurk recently featured in the IPL, gaining valuable experience.
Australia squad for West Indies T20Is:
Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Josh Inglis, Xavier Bartlett, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa.