Cricket Australia

Ahead of the multi-format series against India, beginning with the three-match One-day International series on September 21, Healy who is likely to open for the home team said, "I look at the modern Test game and see how it's changed quite a lot. I watch a lot of the men's cricket and I look at someone like Rohit Sharma who is one of the most devastating white-ball batters in the world and yet he's a really successful opener in Test cricket.

"There's no doubt that India are a very good all-round team. They have conclusively proved it by winning consecutive series in Australia and now having had success in England, albeit Covid-affected, while they are virtually unbeatable at home," wrote Chappell in his column for ESPNCricinfo on Sunday.

Meg Lanning leads a squad both boasting hundreds of matches on the international scene, as well as a number of young players ready to make their mark. Stella Campbell has been selected in her first Australian squad, as well as 27-year-old wicketkeeper Georgia Redmayne, off the back of strong domestic seasons both home and abroad.

"I think Mitchell Starc is the best white ball bowler in the world," Langer said before the team's departure for Bangladesh to play a limited-overs series. "He bowls up front, swings the ball. He is the best bowler at the death in the world. He is great to have in our team. The combination with him and Josh Hazlewood is a real plus for us," Langer was quoted as saying on the ICC website.

Finch had been managing an issue with his right knee till he twisted it while fielding in the final T20I on Saturday (IST). The 34-year-old had to briefly leave the ground. Finch appeared in discomfort in a chase of 200, especially when running between the wickets for a second a run on an overthrow. Australia lost the final T20I by 16 runs and lost the series 1-4.

Smith had to withdraw from the current white-ball series in the West Indies and Bangladesh due to a left elbow injury, but he is hopeful of recovering in time for the T20 World Cup, scheduled to run from October 17 to November 14. "There's still a bit of time between now and (the T20 World Cup), and I'm tracking okay at the moment -- it's slow, but I'm going okay," Smith told cricket.com.au on Friday.

Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, David Warner, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Jhye Richardson and Kane Richardson have confirmed their withdrawal from the upcoming tours, days after CA expanded its preliminary squad by six players to 29. While Smith has withdrawn due to elbow injury, six others according to a release from Cricket Australia "requested not to be considered for the tour for various reasons".

The Hundred will run from July 21 to August 21 and was expected to attract a number of stars from across the world. Warner and Stoinis were contracted by Southern Brave franchise for 100,000 and 80,000 pounds respectively.

The development comes a day after Cricket Australia announced six additions to their 23-member preliminary squad for the limited-overs cricket tours of West Indies and Bangladesh in July and August. A report in Nine Media on Wednesday said that the seven star players could pull out after having spent considerable periods in various cricketing bubbles over the past few months.

There were rumours that the Aussie contingent had received preferential treatment on their arrival back from the Maldives, but CA interim chief executive Nick Hockley said on Tuesday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has fulfilled its duties. IPL was postponed midway due to raging Covid pandemic in India and breach of bio-bubbles of four of the eight franchises.