Peter Siddle has been brought into Australia’s squad for the Boxing Day Test as a replacement for the injured Josh Hazlewood. Siddle is likely to be a bowling reserve, with James Pattinson and Michael Neser already in the squad.
“Peter has been brought in as a 13th player for Melbourne,” chief selector Trevor Hohns said. “He is a proven Test-match performer with an exceptional knowledge of the MCG which will be a valuable part of our preparation.”
Siddle’s Test career looked over after he became the forgotten man of the Ashes, but he now could be a chance of an unlikely reprieve at some point this summer.
Meanwhile, Glenn Maxwell, Usman Khawaja and Marcus Stoinis have all been dropped from Australia’s one-day squad with coach Justin Langer set to skip the India tour.
Assistant Andrew McDonald will take charge of the team for the three-match ODI series in January, with Marnus Labuschagne a possible debutant. One of Australia’s biggest stars of 2019 against the red ball, Labuschagne could make his short-form debut for Australia in India.
But the news wasn’t so good for Maxwell,Khawaja or Stoinis, who were all overlooked after mixed World Cup campaigns.
Shaun Marsh and Nathan Lyon are also missing from the squad that toured England earlier this year, while Nathan Coulter-Nile has been dropped and Jason Behrendorff is injured.
In their places are Sean Abbott – who hasn’t played an ODI since 2014 – Hazlewood, Ashton Agar, Ashton Turner and Labuschagne. Notably, all of Australia’s front-line quicks will play with Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood all named.
“Similar to the Test team, we are wanting the white-ball squad to continue the form of the unbeaten T20 series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka,” Hohns said. “The performance of our white-ball squads has been strong, and we are hoping to build the momentum towards the T20 World Cup … and ultimately the 2023 ICC World Cup in India.
“We also believe Marnus Labuschagne is ready for his international white-ball debut after his strong form for Queensland in this form of the game. It is great to see Glenn Maxwell returning to the game in the Big Bash League. We will closely monitor his form after what would have been disappointing 12 months in the one-day game by his standards.”
The decision for Langer to rest from the tour comes after previous debate about whether the head coaching role should be split across the various formats. Langer has spent close to 18 months on the road, dating back to a UAE tour at the start of last summer and including the World Cup and Ashes campaigns.
Australia still have tours of New Zealand and South African to come this summer, after the India series.
“As one of the leadership group it’s important to show that not only are we focused on getting the balance right for the players but equally the coaches and staff, head coach included,” Langer said.
