Australia present surprise call-ups for South Africa tour
Cricket Australia named the Test squad ahead of the series against South Africa. Jhye Richardson and Jon Holland have been selected in the squad to feature against the Proteas.
Left-arm spinner Jon Holland has leap-frogged over fellow left-arm spinner Ashton Agar to be off-spinner Nathan Lyon’s deputy. Holland played his only two Tests against Sri Lanka in an away series in August 2016. The 21-year-old Richardson made his ODI debut at the Gabba in Brisbane last Friday, taking 2-57 against England.
According to the Selection chairman Trevor Hohns, Holland deserved a recall. He also explained the reason behind Richardson’s inclusion in the squad.
"Jon was the second leading wicket-taker in the Sheffield Shield last season and has performed well in the games he has played for Victoria this season.
"We envisage the wickets we will see in South Africa will not warrant the need to play two spinners. Therefore, should Nathan not be able to play at any stage, we wanted to have the best specialist spinner available to us and based on the current red ball form, Jon warrants that spot."
"Jhye is a talented right-armer that bowls with very good pace through the air," Hohns said.
"He impressed in his first one-day international and has bowled well in the Sheffield Shield this season. He is an exciting young prospect who will benefit immensely from his time with this squad."
The squad consists of five players with Test match experience in South Africa, with skipper Steve Smith, David Warner, Nathan Lyon and Shaun Marsh playing in 2014, while Pat Cummins made his debut as a teenager at the Wanderers.
The first Test starts on March 1 in Durban and will be followed by matches in Port Elizabeth (March 9), Cape Town (March 22) and Johannesburg (March 30).
Australian opener David Warner is the only member of the Test squad who will remain with the T20 unit, captaining the side in place of Steve Smith. Smith has been given a break after the Ashes and ODI series against England.
Australia have the likes of Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and D’Arcy Short in their T20I squad. Short is currently the Big Bash League’s leading run-scorer this summer.
Australia will host the first leg of the T20I tri-series with their matches against New Zealand (February 3), England (February 7 and 10, respectively).
The rest of the series will be played in New Zealand with the Black Caps taking on Australia (February 16) before the tournament final four days later.
Test Squad: Steve Smith (C), David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (WK), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Jackson Bird, Jon Holland, Jhye Richardson.
T20 Squad: David Warner (C), Aaron Finch, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Travis Head, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.
