Australia mull prioritising India A tour ahead of Zimbabwe, South Africa ODIs – International – phpstack-1649576-6553255.cloudwaysapps.com
Australia mull prioritising India A tour ahead of Zimbabwe, South Africa ODIs
Australia’s NSP Chief Bailey says India A tour to be prioritised for some players
MELBOURNE: Cricket Australia’s (CA) National Selection Panel (NSP) has been deliberating on prioritising its men’s A team’s tour of India over the away ODI series against Zimbabwe and South Africa, the committee’s chief George Bailey confirmed on Wednesday.
Australia are scheduled to play six ODIs, three each against Zimbabwe and South Africa, respectively, from September 15 to 30, ahead of the three-match Test series against ICC World Test Championship (WTC) holders.
Australia A will concurrently tour India for two four-day games, scheduled to be played in Puducherry from September 22 to 25 and September 29 to October 2, respectively.
As the two four-day matches against India A may help Australia register their first Test series victory over the Men in Blue since 2004, their selection panel has been debating whether to send certain players, including Cooper Connolly, to the Asian country instead of the ODI tour of Southern Africa.
“It’s always a really difficult thing to take an opportunity for someone to play international cricket away from them,” Bailey said.
“But we certainly acknowledge that that’s a really key series for us, that A series. We’re pretty excited about the group that we’re putting together for that and the opportunity over there,” he added.
Australia were planning to use the ODI tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa as a key step of preparation for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, which the two countries will jointly host alongside Namibia next, but the two four-day games are being seen as equally valuable given they would precede their five-match away Test series against India.
Notably, it will be Australia A’s second trip to India in 12 months, and although it is uncertain whether the pitches in Puducherry would replicate what the former WTC champions will encounter during their five-match series against the Men in Blue, Bailey insisted the tour will be “valuable”.
“We’re lucky enough to have a couple of repeat entries into India, so some guys are starting to get some good levels of experience over there. Hopefully when they do get their opportunities to tour there with the national team, that’ll hold them in really good stead,” Bailey continued.
“For [Connolly] and a couple of others that will be a debate – and not trying to get too cute with it – but whether there are some that can come across and play some of the white-ball series potentially in Zimbabwe and South Africa, and then join for part of the [India A] series. For some, potentially the India series will be prioritised.”
