Cricket Australia has made some changes to the squad for the three T20i series against England starting on October 9, Sunday.
The likes of Mitchell Swepson and Nathan Ellis have been called in for the regular players for the first T20 international against England in Perth. Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Glenn Maxwell have been rested to avoid any match injury.
Marcus Stoinis, who suffered a side strain in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, has not featured in a single game since last month. Stoinis is in line to be available for the 1st T20i.
Mitch Marsh was also rested from the 2nd T20 international against West Indies due to an ankle concern. He will meet Stoinis directly at Perth and should be available for the first T20.
Kane Richardson was also reeling with a side strain and is fit to play with the main quicks missing the game.
WHY COTTON WOOL PLAYERS?
The biggest reason for cotton wool players because of two main reasons :
High-intensity cricket and schedule
The Australian team has been playing back-to-back games since August, featuring against Zimbabwe and New Zealand in the home series. Moreover, playing regular T20is against India, West Indies and England. Many players have injured themselves at a crucial moment while practicing.
With a jam-packed T20 World Cup, Cricket Australia is trying to save the bowlers and all-rounders for the tournament rather than throwing them under immense pressure.
Learning from other boards
Indian superstar Jasprit Bumrah is ruled out of the T20 World Cup because of his back injury, which kept him out for two months. Bumrah featured in the series against Australia. However, the experts say that Bumrah was called in a hurry to play matches with not a perfect back.
New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell is also ruled out due to a fractured hand while practicing. He is ruled out of the T20 tri-series featuring Kiwis, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Moreover, he doubts the upcoming T20 World Cup after getting injured within less than two weeks before New Zealand's first game. Mitchell played a vital role for the Kiwis, as he could bat up the order with his handy overs, proving to be a total asset for the team.
Dwaine Pretorius, the star South African bowling all-rounder, is the latest player to be ruled out of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022 due to injury. Pretorius, who took three wickets against India in the third T20I on October 4, suffered a left thumb fracture during the game. This injury has ruled him out of the ongoing ODI series against India and the T20 World Cup, which begins on October 16 in Australia.
Australia will play its first T20 World Cup game against New Zealand at the Sydney Cricket Ground on October 22 2022.
