West Indies Eye ODI Momentum as Australia Welcomes New Faces
The West Indies, fresh off their Gabba triumph, will be looking to carry their winning momentum into their upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia, starting Friday, February 2nd. This series will also see four exciting new faces make their international debuts for the Aussies.
However, in a cruel twist, Victorian pair Jake Fraser-McGurk and Will Sutherland will miss out on their home debuts at the MCG on Friday. According to Code Sports, pacemen Lance Morris and Xavier Bartlett are likely to get the nod instead, given the absence of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitch Marsh in the 13-man squad.
Despite the setback, Fraser-McGurk and Sutherland are expected to see action at some point during the series, which continues in Sydney (February 4) and Canberra (February 6). Both players were called up recently as replacements – Fraser-McGurk for the rested Glenn Maxwell and Sutherland for the injured Nathan Ellis.
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Inglis will open with Head in ODIs against West Indies
Captain Steve Smith hinted that Josh Inglis is likely to partner Travis Head at the top of the order, replacing David Warner. Inglis impressed with a 138-run knock in last season’s Marsh Cup final and has opened the batting once at the ODI level alongside Aaron Finch.
“We’ll keep it consistent with myself and ‘Marn’ (Marnus Labuschagne) at four and five like the World Cup, and then we’ll probably see some guys having an opportunity up top and mixing and matching a little bit,” Smith said.
“With the guys we’ve got in the squad, we’ve got some versatility there so it should be exciting.”
BBL Player of the Tournament Matt Short, who has excelled as an opener across formats, is also expected to feature, potentially at No. 7 behind Aaron Hardie and Marnus Labuschagne.
“I think he’ll get opportunities both in the middle and top,” Smith said of Short. “His form has been outstanding recently, he’s a quality player and he’s absolutely smashed it for the Strikers the last few weeks.”
With a blend of experience and exciting new talent on both sides, this ODI series promises to be a thrilling encounter between two of the world’s best cricket teams.
