Australia has a packed calendar ahead of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in 2021. The Men in Yellow are set to tour West Indies and Bangladesh for the limited-over matches. With two away tours coming up and considering the bio-bubble environment and quarantine rules, many of the top players might pull out of the tour.
Apparently, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, David Warner, Pat Cummins, Jhye Richardson, Marcus Stoinis, Kane Richardson, and Riley Meredith are the ones who are likely to miss the series. While there is no conclusive news as to why the above players might pull out, but mental health is one of the primary reasons apart from the physical issues.
Australian Top Order Players Like Steve Smith And David Warner Among Others May Opt Out Of Forthcoming West Indies And Bangladesh Tours
After the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) got suspended on May 4, the Australian bound players faced a lot of difficulties as they had to take a halt in the Maldives before jetting off to Australia due to the ban of direct flights from India.
Three weeks ago, Cricket Australia (CA) had released a list of 23 players (to be whittled down nearer to the dates of departure) that will tour the West Indies and Bangladesh. According to the latest development, CA has added six more players to the preliminary Australia squad for the West Indies series and Bangladesh tour, thus taking the number of players to 29.
However, missing in action at the top will be Marnus Labuschagne, who is currently playing for Glamorgan County at the ongoing English County Championships. Logistical issues are said to be the reason by CA for excluding him. A report in ”Nine Media” said Pat Cummins, David Warner, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Kane Richardson, and Jhye Richardson could pull out of the tour.
Australia’s Dan Christian And Cameron Green Among 6 Players Added As Backup Options For The 8 Players Who Are Likely To Opt-out
It certainly took a toll on players who missed their loved ones a lot during these tough times. According to a report in The Sydney Morning Herald, Cricket Australia (CA) selection chief Trevor Hohns recently spoke to all the 23 players in the preliminary squad announced for the West Indies tour about the bio-bubble fatigue and mental wellbeing.
“During the course of those discussions, it has become clear that recent experiences abroad, including but not limited to extended periods in bio-secure hubs and hard quarantine, have had an impact on the health and wellbeing of some players and their families.
“CA has maintained that the wellbeing of players, staff, and officials is a top priority, and never more so than during the COVID-19 pandemic given the extraordinary challenges it has placed upon international athletes and sporting teams,” Trevor Hohns said.
Now Australia has added six new players to the preliminary squad with Dan Christian, Cameron Green, Ashton Turner, Wes Agar, Nathan Ellis, and Ben McDermott – as the backup options for the eight players who are likely to opt-out. Australia will play five T20Is and three ODIs against West Indies starting from July 10 and then they travel to Bangladesh to play five more T20I games in August.
Australia preliminary squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Wes Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Dan Christian, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Tanveer Sangha, D’Arcy Short, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.