Melbourne: Two fresh faces have earned maiden international call-ups after Australia re-shuffled their squad to face the West Indies with Jhye Richardson and Glenn Maxwell missing next month’s three-match series.
To cover the absence of Maxwell and Richardson, Australia have called up young gun Jake Fraser-McGurk and pacer Xavier Bartlett and the duo are in contention to make their first international appearance if selected during the series against the Caribbean side.
Bartlett replaces the injured Richardson in the squad while Fraser-McGurk is in for Maxwell, who is being managed ahead of the T20I Series, starts on February 9.
Maxwell joined fellow first-choice players Pat Cummins, Mitch Marsh, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood to miss the ODIs with Steve Smith to lead the side and left-hander Travis Head his deputy.
Richardson hurt his left side while playing for the Perth Scorchers last month, continuing a frustrating run of physical issues for the tearaway paceman.
Fraser-McGurk, 21, is highly rated following his breakout BBL and Marsh Cup seasons, including a world record 29-ball one-day century against Tasmania, while Barlett, 25, has also had a successful summer with the Heat as the competition’s leading wicket-taker.
The three-match ODI series against the West Indies commences in Melbourne on February 2, with games also scheduled in Sydney and Canberra before a further three-match T20I series between February 9 to 13.
Australia ODI squad: Steve Smith (c), Travis Head (vc), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Lance Morris, Matt Short, Adam Zampa
–IANS