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Surprising omission as Australia name ODI squad to face England

3rd January, 2018
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Australia will meet New Zealand in their first match of the Champions Trophy. (AAP Image/David Moir)
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3rd January, 2018
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Australia have named their squad for the upcoming ODI series against England on Wednesday morning, with the startling omission of all-rounder Glenn Maxwell headlining the news.

Maxwell has been in superb form at Sheffield Shield level after being left out of the Test team, but he has been overlooked for the ODI squad as well in what is a move sure to shock a vast majority.

The selectors have got most of their calls right this summer though, with Mitchell Marsh being selected ahead of Maxwell at six in the batting order for the Perth Test. He went on to score 181 before batting for two sessions in Melbourne to save the fourth Test alongside captain Steve Smith.

Marsh will retain his spot for the ODI series alongside the re-called Chris Lynn, who has made his return to the Big Bash League after a shoulder injury rubbed him out of the game for the better part of a year.

National selector Trevor Hohns said consistency was a big issue in not picking Maxwell.

“No-one is in any doubt about Glenn’s ability or his potential to produce match-winning contributions with the bat. What we have wanted from him is more consistency but in his past 20 matches in this format he has averaged 22 and we need more than that from a player in the side’s batting engine room,” Said Hohns.

“Glenn is still absolutely in our thoughts but for this series we have decided to look again at Chris Lynn, who is now back playing once more after the shoulder injury that hampered him when we picked him against Pakistan in this format 12 months ago.

“He has been one of the most feared players at domestic level in limited-overs cricket in the past couple of years and we want to see if he can convert that domestic form to the international stage.”

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Steve Smith and David Warner have both been selected despite a demanding summer schedule, as have Australia’s first choice pace attack of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.

It’s expected the three quicks will be given a rest at some point during the series with a tour of South Africa ahead.

Back up in the squad will be provided by Western Australian duo Andrew Tye and Jhye Richardson, both of whom have started the Big Bash in excellent form.

Tim Paine will wear the gloves with Matthew Wade left out of the squad, while Adam Zampa will again take the spin spot in limited overs cricket.

Aaron Finch has been retained at the top of the order.

Hohns said the squad was built with an eye to the upcoming Cricket World Cup in 2019.

“With our defence of the ICC Cricket World Cup just 17 months away, we are seeking to get a squad in place that can form the basis of the line-up for that campaign and at the same time regain ground in the ODI Rankings, given we have slipped from the number one position over the past 12 months,” Said Hohns.

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“There will still be further opportunities for players to force their way into the reckoning for the squad to go to England and Wales in 2019 but the sooner we can settle on our best combination and get them playing together and in form on a regular basis then the better our chances will be of retaining the trophy we won at home in 2015.”

Full squad for England ODI’s

Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Chris Lynn, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa

Fixtures for England ODI’s

1st ODI: Sunday, January 14 at Melbourne Cricket Ground (2:20pm AEDT)
2nd ODI: Friday, January 19 at Gabba, Brisbane (2:20pm AEDT)
3rd ODI: Sunday, January 21 at Sydney Cricket Ground (2:20pm AEDT)
4th ODI: Friday, January 26 at Adelaide Oval (2:20pm AEDT)
5th ODI: Sunday, January 28 at Perth Stadium (2:20pm AEDT)

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