Australia recall Faulkner for India series, rest pacer Starc
LOOKING AHEAD Leftarm paceman’s omission from India series a signal that Australia need him fit for the Ashes
Cricket Australia have recalled bowling allrounder James Faulkner for the ODI matches against India in September-October. The Australian selectors have rested an injured Mitchell Starc.
Cricket Australia’s national selection panel named a 14-player One-Day International and 13-player T20 International squad, respectively, for the tour of India which will take place between September 17 and October 13.
Speaking on the selection of the ODI squad, national selector Trevor Hohns said: “We believe the panel has selected a strong squad to face the tough Indian conditions, that has the right mix of pace and spin.”
Nathan Coulter-Nile returns to the side following his recent recovery from a back injury, with James Faulkner receiving a re-call along with new comer to the short format Hilton Cartwright.
“Nathan brings raw pace to the side with good variation. It is great to see him back from injury and we are hopeful he will have a big impact in this series.
“James Faulkner is a solid One-Day campaigner and is very familiar with sub-continent conditions, coming off a very good tour of Sri Lanka last year.
“We hope that he will take his chance in returning to the oneday side. Hilton is an aggressive striker of the ball and we think his game will be well suited to the transition to short-form cricket,” concluded Hohns.
Speaking on the T20 International squad, T20 National Selector Mark Waugh said: “The overall standards being set in the BBL and also the IPL are high and the players selected have impressed in these tournaments.
Tim Paine has been calledup following his successful home T20 International and Big Bash campaigns and Dan is an allrounder who can be a very dangerous batsman.
WA paceman Jason Behrendorff has been selected following his return from an injury set-back, along with Victorian all-rounder Dan Christian and Tasmanian wicket-keeper Tim Paine.
“Jason has been a stand out performer for the Scorchers for a number of seasons and deserves his chance at this level.
“Dan is a very experienced allrounder who can be a very dan- gerous batsman. He had a solid IPL season this year and we believe his bowling will be well suited to the conditions we will face in India.“Tim Paine has been called-up following his successful home T20 International and Big Bash campaigns,” concluded Waugh.