The final fixtures of England’s strange summer in the biosecure bubble have been announced, with Australia naming a strong squad for six white-ball matches next month.
Three T20Is at the Ageas Bowl (on September 4, 6 and 8) and three ODIs at Emirates Old Trafford (11, 13, 16) mean every England men’s match scheduled this summer before the pandemic struck will be fulfilled behind closed doors, saving the game more than £100m.
Confirmation that these matches, which were initially set to take place last month, will go ahead has not always been as certain as England’s other fixtures against West Indies, Ireland and Pakistan.
Australia will arrive in the UK on August 24, setting up shop in Derby for training and intra-squad matches.
Australia have wasted no time in naming a 21-strong squad, captained by Aaron Finch, for the tour. It contains familiar names for England audiences, with nine players such as Steve Smith, David Warner and Nathan Lyon involved in last year’s Ashes retention.
There is also what selector Trevor Hohns described as “a sprinkle of exceptional young players” such as Tasmanian tearaway Riley Meredith, the hard-hitting opener Josh Phillipe, and left-armer Daniel Sams.
“We are very excited to be heading to England and to get back into the international fray,” said Nick Hockley, Cricket Australia’s Interim Chief Executive, who is English. “We congratulate the ECB on leading the resumption of the game in a way that places the health and safety of players and staff at its core.
“We would also like to thank the Australian Government for granting travel exemptions for the Australian men’s team, as well as all those who have worked tirelessly to put together a plan that allows for the tour to progress in a bio-secure way.”
The travelling squad is: Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (vc), Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Daniel Sams, Kane Richardson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.
