Former Australian skipper Steve Smith and David Warner have not been picked for Aussie team’s ODI squad for their upcoming series against Pakistan, which will be held in the United Arab Emirates, as the duo serve out the final weeks of their ball-tampering bans and recover from elbow injuries.
Cricket Australia has announced the unchanged squad for their UAE tour as one currently touring India. Steve Smith and David Warner’s omission from Aussie squad means they will need to find form in the Indian Premier League ahead of the World Cup in England starting in late May.
“It has been agreed Steve Smith and David Warner will not be available for selection for the final two matches of the series against Pakistan,” CA’s head selector Trevor Hohns said in a media release on Friday.
“While their bans will be finished on March 28, Steve and David have been working through rehabilitation from elbow surgery and it has been agreed the best pathway for them to return to play is in the Indian Premier League,” he added.
The ODI series opener between Australia and Pakistan will be played on March 22 in Sharjah. The banned Australian duo of Smith and Warner would have been eligible to play the final two matches of the series in Dubai on March 29 and March 31.
Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins, Jhye Richardson, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa, Andrew Tye, Ashton Turner, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile