Photo Credit: Cricket Australia
The National Selection Panel has added Ben McDermott, Dan Christian, Cameron Green, Ashton Turner, Wes Agar and Nathan Ellis to the preliminary list of players for the Qantas Australian men’s white ball tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh.
Confirmation of the Qantas Australian men’s tours are subject to agreement on bio-security arrangements and relevant government approvals.
McDermott and Christian are currently playing for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire respectively and will return to Australia from the UK this week to complete the mandatory two-week quarantine period before the final squad scheduled departure for the Caribbean in late June.
The NSP will select and announce the final touring squad in the coming weeks, having announced an initial 23-player extended list last month which included a number of players who participated in the suspended Indian Premier League.
Trevor Hohns, National Selector, said managing the health and wellbeing of players through the pandemic remained CA’s top priority.
We are delighted to recall Ben, Dan, Cameron and Ashton and welcome Wes and Nathan onto the preliminary list of players for the scheduled Qantas Australian men’s tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh Hohns said.
Ben is a proven match-winner and powerful striker of the ball, particularly in the T20 format, and we believe that, at 26, his best cricket is still ahead of him. Dan is in arguably career-best form and was a crucial member of the Sydney Sixers’ BBL-winning squad this summer. His selection is testament to the hard work he has put in over many years.
Cameron made his ODI debut last summer against India and the NSP believes he has tremendous potential in the white- and red-ball formats, while Ashton has performed well across his 17 ODI and T20I matches for Australia dating back to 2017.
Wes and Nathan, meanwhile, were among the leading wicket-takers during the summer’s BBL and are viewed by the NSP as players who could make a genuine impact at international level.
The six additions to the Qantas Australian men’s squad follow discussions with players selected in the initial preliminary list for the tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh.
During the course of those discussions, it has become clear that recent experiences abroad, including but not limited to extended periods in bio-secure hubs and hard quarantine, have had an impact on the health and wellbeing of some players and their families.
CA has maintained that the wellbeing of players, staff and officials is a top priority, and never moreso than during the Covid-19 pandemic given the extraordinary challenges it has placed upon international athletes and sporting teams.
We thank Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire for their cooperation and professionalism in assisting Ben and Dan return to Australia as we look forward to the exciting Qantas Australian men’s tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh.
Name of Author: Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia (CA), formerly the Australian Cricket Board (ACB), is the governing body for cricket in Australia. Established in 1905 as the Australian Board of Control for International Cricket, CA manages all national teams, including Men’s, Women’s, and Youth sides, as well as other national teams. It oversees the organization of Test matches, ODIs, and T20Is, and coordinates home international fixtures.
