Australia have left big-hitting allrounder Glenn Maxwell out of their 14-man squad for the upcoming ODI series against England, and have instead named a couple of potential debutants.
Western Australian duo Jhye Richardson and Andrew Tye have been called up to make their international ODI debuts, while Brisbane Heat star batsman Chris Lynn has also been selected.
Lynn has only played three Big Bash matches since returning from shoulder surgery, although he was back to his brilliant best on Tuesday night, smacking 63 from 46 deliveries to help the Heat defeat the Stars at the MCG.
Despite the inclusions, Maxwell's axing remains the biggest story to come from the announcement, given his impressive form over the summer.
Maxwell has dominated the Sheffield Shield season to date and leads the competition with 590 runs at 73.35, following his incredible knock of 278 against New South Wales.
National selector Trevor Hohns released a statement on the decision to release Maxwell, and citied his inconsistency in past one-day matches as the reason.
"No-one is in any doubt about Glenn’s ability or his potential to produce match-winning contributions with the bat," Hohns said.
"What we have wanted from him is more consistency but in his past 20 matches in this format he has averaged 22 and we need more than that from a player in the side’s batting engine room.
"Glenn is still absolutely in our thoughts but for this series we have decided to look again at Chris Lynn, who is now back playing once more after the shoulder injury that hampered him when we picked him against Pakistan in this format 12 months ago.
"He has been one of the most feared players at domestic level in limited-overs cricket in the past couple of years and we want to see if he can convert that domestic form to the international stage."
With Australia unsure as to who should be the first choice wicketkeeper before the Ashes began, Tim Paine was given the nod and has proved his worth in the role, as his selection in the ODI squad means he's Australia's 'keeper in all three formats.
The five-match ODI series begins at the MCG on January 14, before travelling to the Gabba, the SCG, Adelaide Oval and the new Perth Stadium for the final match on January 28.
Australia squad for ODI Series: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Chris Lynn, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa
