BBL stars are keepers

Wade and Philippe to tour New Zealand as Aussies eye the World Cup

MATTHEW Wade and Josh Philippe have been locked in as David Warner and Steve Smith’s Twenty20 replacements as Australia ramps up its World Cup preparation with a squad of Big Bash all-stars.

The wicketkeepers will join captain Aaron Finch in the top order against New Zealand when the five-match series begins on February 22, although Philippe’s international debut will come as a specialist bats

man because incumbent T20 gloveman Wade is set to retain the gloves.

Philippe, 23, has crushed 995 runs at an average of 34.3 and a strike-rate of 139.2 over his past two breakout Big Bash seasons.

Finch said the Sydney Sixers golden boy, who was named player of the BBL tournament last week before he helped the glamour franchise win back-to-back championships, learnt plenty from IPL teammates Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers last year.

Finch’s 18-man squad will spend the next 48 hours confined to hotel quarantine in Christchurch before the New Zealand government allows the players to train outside for two hours each day.

The series will begin once the Aussies have completed their 14-day quarantine period.

Cricket Australia refused to make changes to its New Zealand squad despite abandoning its Test series in South Africa.

Coach Justin Langer and assistant Troy Cooley are staying home, along with three-format stars Smith, Warner, Patrick Cummins and Mitchell Starc.

The domestic schedule will be signed off on this week.

Smith and Warner are set to take on Victoria in a marquee Sheffield Shield match at the MCG later this month.

The Aussies’ best T20 XI won’t assemble again until a mid-year white-ball series in the West Indies.

But Finch said they had played enough cricket together to jell for the World Cup, which will be played in India in October-November, leading into a home Ashes series.

The ICC is expected to increase squad sizes from the traditional 15 for the World Cup due to biosecurity bubbles and use of concussion substitutes.

SAM LANDSBERGER’S PREDICTED T20 XI

Aaron Finch (c), Matthew Wade (wk), Josh Philippe, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Marsh, Ashton Agar (pending fitness)/Daniel Sams, Jhye Richardson, Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson, Jason Behrendorff. Bench: Riley Meredith, D’Arcy Short, Tanveer Sangha, Ben McDermott, Ashton Turner, AJ Tye.