Sydney: Australian Batsmen Steve Smith and David Warner were on Friday left out of Australia's one-day squad for the series against Pakistan despite being eligible for the final two games after their ball-tampering bans expire.
Selector Trevor Hohns said it had been decided they would be better served playing their way back into contention at the Indian Premier League. He said, "Cricket Australia will continue to liaise with both Steve, David and their IPL clubs to monitor progress as we build towards the ICC World Cup and the Ashes.”
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Australia named an unchanged squad from the original 15-man group that is currently on tour of India. Fast bowler Mitchell Starc is also ruled out due to an injury. Speaking about Smith and Warner's absence, selector Trevor Hohns said it had been decided they would be better served playing their way back into contention at the Indian Premier League (IPL).
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Hohns said returning through IPL 2019 was deemed the best route back for the star duo. He said, "After consultation with members of the National Selection Panel, Greg Chappell and Head Coach Justin Langer, Interim EGM Team Performance Belinda Clark, CA Medical Team and both players, 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.”
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Australia team: Aaron Finch (captain), Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Peter Handscomb, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner, Adam Zampa