Australia player released from T20I squad ahead of Ashes preparation
Australia’s Travis Head has been released from the T20I squad against India to prepare for the Ashes. The left-hander will play for South Australia in the Sheffield Shield, while Hazlewood and Abbott also return to domestic action.
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In a major twist before the Ashes, Australia has released Travis Head from its T20I squad against India to get ready for the Test series. The explosive left-handed batsman will miss the last two T20Is to play South Australia in a Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania in Hobart next week, his first first-class match since the tour of the West Indies in July.
The decision apparently was left to Head, who decided to have productive practice in red-ball format heading into the Ashes. The 31-year-old has a key spot in Australia's T20I setup, but chose preparation in long format instead of limited overs cricket. The No. 5 spot in Australia's Test setup is critical and he will be a major player with his counter-attacking style in the middle order when the Ashes start.
Head is a player who is going through a lean period in white-ball cricket, as he has only scored a top score of 31 runs after hitting a brilliant 142 against South Africa during the month of August. On the ongoing tour to India, he has scored just 34 runs at an average of 17 in T20Is and 65 runs in three ODIs. He is likely to be replaced by either Matthew Short or Josh Philippe as an opening partner for Mitchell Marsh in the other two matches.
Hazlewood, Abbott, and Sangha Released for Domestic Duties as Australia Eye Strong Finish to T20I Series
Meanwhile, in the past day, senior players have been released from the squad to focus on their domestic commitments. Fast bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott will feature for New South Wales in their Sheffield Shield match against Victoria at the SCG. Hazlewood had already finished his two-match T20I involvement, but Abbott's exit will allow left-arm quick Ben Dwarshuis to return to the squad after recovering from a calf injury.
Leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha has also been given permission to play for NSW in the One-Day Cup before rejoining the national team for the fourth T20I on the Gold Coast. The T20I series is now tied at 1-1 after India claimed a five-wicket victory in Hobart, setting up an exciting conclusion to the last two games.
Australia T20I Squad (for remaining matches): Mitchell Marsh (c), Matthew Wade, Tim David, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Short/Josh Philippe, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Tanveer Sangha, Jason Behrendorff.
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