Cricket Australia unveiled a squad of 23 centrally contracted male players in anticipation of another thrilling year.
Pace bowlers Xavier Bartlett and Nathan Ellis have both secured Cricket Australia (CA) contracts, marking their inclusion in a 23-player squad for the 2024-25 season, which notably features a significant home Test series against India. At ages 25 and 29 respectively, Bartlett and Ellis are among the fresh faces in the squad, along with Victoria’s Matt Short (28) and Western Australia’s Aaron Hardie (25). All four players, who have previously represented their countries, have earned their spots on this year’s central contract list. The contracts will come into effect following the T20 World Cup in June.
Despite not being initially offered CA contracts for the 2023-24 season, Ellis, Short, and Hardie demonstrated outstanding performances throughout the summer, leading to upgrades and securing their positions on the contract list.
During last year’s T20 series in South Africa, both Short and Hardie marked their international debuts, showcasing their talents on the global stage. Meanwhile, Ellis played a significant role in Australia’s ODI and T20I tour of South Africa, as well as in T20 competitions in India and New Zealand. However, he was sidelined from the home white-ball series against the West Indies due to a rib injury.
Notable omissions from the list include Western Australia all-rounders Ashton Agar and Marcus Stoinis, Victoria opener Marcus Harris, Queensland fast bowler Michael Neser, and the retiring David Warner. Among this group, Harris last played a Test over two years ago, while Neser (two ODIs) and Agar (one ODI) have had minimal opportunities in national colors in the past year, appearing in South Africa last September as part of a less experienced ODI squad before Australia’s successful World Cup campaign in India.
Stoinis stands out as a significant absence. Currently representing Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, the 34-year-old missed Australia’s recent tour of New Zealand due to a back injury but remains in contention for selection for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the Caribbean.
Including all rounders, the national selection panel has opted for a total of 12 pace-bowling options out of the 23 selected players, with Western Australia duo Jhye Richardson and Lance Morris retaining their spots. Richardson, aged 27, has been sidelined from international cricket since June 2022 due to a string of unfortunate injuries. On the other hand, the 26-year-old fast bowler Morris made his debut in Australia colors just last month, featuring in two ODIs against the West Indies.
The Australian men’s team is all set for their next assignment, the T20 World Cup in the United States and the Caribbean. It will be intriguing to see which players from this selected squad of 23 will secure their spots on the plane to the T20 World Cup.
The Sportz Planet Desk,
Atharva Shetye.
