NEW DELHI: Breaking from tradition,
Cricket Australia
(CA) on Thursday named nine members of the Test squad as part of the Australia A squad that will play a three-day warm-up game against India prior to the Test series early next month.
The decision has been made apparently to ensure that a majority of its Test squad would get practice against the touring Indians ahead of the Test series when it begins on December 17.
The Australia A squad also includes Test captain
Tim Paine. Besides Paine, Test squad members
Sean Abbott,
Joe Burns,
Cameron Green,
Travis Head
,
Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, and Mitchell Swepson will also be part of the Australia A side.
Both Australia A's warm-up games against India are scheduled to be held in Sydney, the first at Drummoyne Oval (Dec 6-8) with India A and the second under lights at the SCG (Dec 11-13), to prepare players for the pink-ball first Test at Adelaide Oval beginning December 17.
Traditionally, Cricket Australia has always fielded weaker sides for warm-ups. The Cricket Australia XI on India's last tour Down Under in 2018-19 did not comprise a single Test player. The only known player in that XI was D'Arcy Short who had played only a handful of limited-overs internationals having made his debut earlier that year.
Even among the rest of the players for that three-day Tour match ahead of 2018-19 series, only Sam Whiteman was a successful first-class player. Many of the rest have not played even 10 first-class matches up until now.
Even in the 2014-15 tour, both tour matches in Adelaide did not have a single Test player, although the quality of first-class cricketers was better than the one dished out ahead of the 2018-19 series.
CA's move to include so many Test players could be because most of the players have played limited cricket due to Covid-19 pandemic-induced lockdown.
Players common to Test and A squads are Tim Paine, Sean Abbott, Joe Burns, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski and Mitchell Swepson.
Start a Conversation
Post comment