Perth, Oct 18: Australia will hand maiden ODI caps to Matthew Renshaw and Mitch Owen in Sunday’s series opener against India, as the hosts field a reshaped side for what is expected to be a near sell-out crowd at Perth Stadium.
For Renshaw, it marks a long-awaited white-ball debut nearly a decade after his first appearance in Test cricket. The left-hander will line up alongside all-rounder Owen, who has impressed in domestic one-day cricket with his explosive batting and tidy seam bowling.
Australia captain Mitchell Marsh confirmed on Saturday that Matt Short will return to the one-day side, taking the No.3 spot behind openers Marsh and Travis Head.
Josh Philippe will don the wicketkeeping gloves in place of the injured Josh Inglis, while spin-bowling all-rounder Cooper Connolly is also set to feature in the middle order.
With leg-spinner Adam Zampa unavailable due to family reasons, left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann is expected to return for his fifth ODI, giving Australia a balanced attack on what has traditionally been a pace-friendly surface.
The Perth wicket has historically offered swing and bounce, and Marsh expects the new ball to play a crucial role in the contest.
“Often at Perth Stadium, you see it swing around early, and both sides will be looking to do some early damage,” Marsh said on the eve of the match.
“If we get through the first 10 overs, I believe it’ll be a high-scoring game—but that opening phase might decide the result.”
Short’s recall comes after a frustrating run of injuries that kept him out of Australia’s recent Champions Trophy and South Africa series. The powerful right-hander recently returned to action during the T20 tour of New Zealand, batting at No.3, and the selectors are backing him to adapt to multiple roles.National selector George Bailey said the team management has emphasised flexibility within the squad.“It’s been a frustrating winter for Matt, but we know his strengths at the top,” Bailey said. “The challenge now is to build his skill set through the middle order and finishing positions. With Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell absent, it’s about finding players who can step up in those key roles.”
Meanwhile, Owen’s promotion caps an impressive domestic season in which he struck a blistering 48-ball century for Tasmania in the One-Day Cup.
The 23-year-old, who has already represented Australia in T20s, is expected to slot into the middle order at No.7—a position vacated by Maxwell following his ODI retirement earlier this year.
Renshaw, too, has been in fine form for Queensland, averaging above 50 in the domestic one-day competition and finishing last season as the tournament’s second-highest run-getter.
With fewer than 3,000 tickets remaining, Perth Stadium is set to be packed to the rafters on Sunday, offering a fitting stage for Australia’s new-generation stars to announce themselves against world No.1 India. (PTI)
