Faulkner gets Australia recall
sydney — Australia urged paceman James Faulkner to make the most of his reprievwe as he was recalled Friday for the one-day tour to India, along with fit-again Nathan Coulter-Nile.
Faulkner, player of the match in the 2015 World Cup final, was surprisingly dropped for the Champions Trophy in June, but his experience in the subcontinent and in the Indian Premier League earned him a place in the squad.
“James is a solid one-day campaigner and is very familiar with subcontinent conditions, coming off a very good tour of Sri Lanka last year,” chief selector Trevor Hohns said. “We hope that he will take his chance in returning to the one-day side.”
Coulter-Nile, who has recovered from a back injury, gets the chance to add to his 16 ODIs after impressive form in this year’s IPL with the Kolkata Knight Riders.
“Nathan brings raw pace to the side with good variation,” Hohns said. “It is great to see him back from injury and we are hopeful he will have a big impact in this series.”
All-rounder Moises Henriques, as well as injured quartet Chris Lynn, John Hastings, James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc, all miss out despite featuring in the Champions Trophy squad.
Starc has been rested for the entire tour as he continues his recovery from a foot injury, with selectors keeping one eye on this year’s Ashes Test series against England. “We have reviewed the progress of Mitchell’s right foot and the healing process has been slower than we would have liked,” team physiotherapist David Beakley said.
“Consequently, in order to ensure his best possible preparation for the Ashes, he will be unavailable for the tour of India and will continue his rehab at home with an aim to have him play for New South Wales in the domestic one-day cup.”
In the T20 squad, pacemen Jason Behrendorff and Kane Richardson were selected, while Josh Hazlewood was left out of the T20 leg of the tour.
ODI squad: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa.
T20I squad: Steve Smith (capt), David Warner, Jason Behrendorff, Dan Christian, Nathan CoulterNile, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Glenn Maxwell, Tim Paine, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa. —