Host of fresh faces in Australia white-ball squads to face England

Host of fresh faces in Australia white-ball squads to face England Estelle.Bronkhorst Mon, 11/02/2026 - 12:00

MELBOURNE - Australia named a host of fresh faces in new-look white-ball squads to face England, with exciting young quick Mahli Beardman and all-rounders Jack Edwards and Liam Scott among those getting call-ups.

Batting prospects Ollie Peake and Jake Fraser-McGurk were also included, as were wicketkeepers Lachlan Shaw and Sam Harper with Mitchell Marsh captaining both the one-day and Twenty20 sides.

"These ODI and T20 matches provide several players, many of whom have had opportunities on recent tours, with a great chance to further demonstrate their ability against very strong opposition," said chairman of selectors George Bailey.

Beardman, Peake, Edwards, Scott, Nikhil Chaudhary, and Joel Davies made their white-ball debuts in recent times. Harper and Shaw are the two uncapped players.

"They are good examples of players who have had an opportunity at the international level and have continued working on their game from what they learnt from those experiences," added Bailey.

Australia play three home ODIs against England between November 13-18 followed by five T20s.

They will provide an opportunity for Australia's next generation to stake their claims ahead of the 2027 World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.

With a home Test series against New Zealand to follow, star fast bowlers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are being rested after playing their part in Australia's 2-1 Test series defeat in South Africa.

Fellow Test players Travis Head, Alex Carey, Matt Renshaw, Josh Inglis, Cooper Connolly and Cameron Green were named in the ODI squad, but will not play the T20s.

Following the New Zealand series, Australia travel to India for five Tests before a 150th anniversary clash in Melbourne against England then an Ashes campaign.

"We are in the middle of a highly demanding phase of our schedule," said Bailey, referring to Australia's Test players.

"To manage this workload, each player's build-up to the New Zealand series will be carefully planned and focused on individual's physical and mental preparation."

• AFP