Canberra [Australia], October 28 : Josh Philippe has emerged in the frame to compete in the first T20I of the five-match series against India, scheduled to commence on Wednesday at the Manuka Oval in Canberra.
Apart from Philippe, Ben McDermott is also in contention for an international return for the first time since December 2023. McDermott's sudden rise into the mix stems from Matthew Short undergoing surgery on his finger in Sydney on Monday, according to cricket.com.au.
McDermott, who has been named as the standby in the T20I squad, missed the start of the Australian domestic season because he was part of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). Following his return, he hammered 42 and 14 in the One-Day Cup for Tasmania.
Short suffered a severe cut on his right ring finger while attempting to take a catch off Josh Hazlewood during the second ODI against India in Adelaide. He was patched up and struck 74 off 78 to steer Australia to a narrow two-wicket win and an unassailable 2-0 lead. In the final ODI, he rolled his arms for four overs and struck 30 runs with the bat.
With the 29-year-old Short ruled out, Philippe is expected to play his first T20I, with his last appearance in the format coming against India in December 2023. Australia captain Mitchell Marsh has confirmed wicketkeeper Josh Inglis, who is returning after a calf injury, will bat at number three.
For the upcoming T20Is, Australia have announced a host of changes in the squad. Pace bowling mainstay Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott will miss the back-end of the T20I series to compete in the round four Shield match for NSW against Victoria, which starts at the famous Sydney Cricket Ground on November 10.
Hazlewood will feature in the first two fixtures, while Abbott, who is recovering from a split webbing in his hand, will leave the squad after the third fixture. Glenn Maxwell will return for the last three T20Is, having been ruled out of the first two due to a fractured wrist, an injury he picked up while bowling in nets in New Zealand last month. Dwarshuis has been ruled out of the ODI series and the three T20Is due to a calf injury, but has been named for the last two T20Is.
"We do have guys coming in and out, but I think that's been the nature of the white ball teams over the last couple of years, with the schedules and how busy it is. We've got some guys going back and playing Shield cricket, and certain guys coming back from injury. It's just about being really flexible with that. Everyone understands their role when they do come into the team, and that's it's about being really clear on that," Marsh told reporters on Tuesday as quoted from cricket.com.au.
Australia squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott (games 1-3), Xavier Bartlett, Mahli Beardman (games 3-5), Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis (games 4-5), Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood (games 1-2), Ben McDermott (standby player) Glenn Maxwell (games 3-5), Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe (wk), Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Tanveer Sangha.
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