Australia ODI Squad Announced: Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head Return For Zimbabwe And South Africa Series

Australia have announced their squads for a busy month of white-ball cricket, with the National Selection Panel naming a 17-member ODI squad for tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa. The six-match series is being viewed as an important preparation phase ahead of next year's World Cup, which will be staged in the same countries.

The selectors have also picked Australia A squads for a tour of India, where the side will play two four-day matches and three one-day games against India A in Puducherry.

Several familiar names return to Australia's ODI setup, with Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head and Josh Hazlewood back after missing the most recent series. Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc will join the group for the South African leg, giving the bowling attack considerable experience ahead of the Test series in October.

Youngsters Oliver Peake and Joel Davies have retained their places after making impressive international debuts during Australia's recent tours of Pakistan and Bangladesh. Meanwhile, Marnus Labuschagne has been left out after failing to make the cut from the previous ODI squad.

Australia target World Cup preparation with experienced core

Chair of Selectors George Bailey said the six ODIs would provide Australia with valuable preparation in conditions they will encounter again at next year's World Cup.

Bailey highlighted the return of Marsh, Head and Hazlewood, while also pointing to the importance of giving emerging players further exposure at international level.

The selectors have opted for a blend of established stars and developing talent. Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Adam Zampa and Nathan Ellis form part of the experienced core, while Peake, Davies and Xavier Bartlett are among the players looking to strengthen their claims.

The South African leg will also allow Cummins and Starc to build towards Australia's three-Test series against South Africa in October. The squad for that Test assignment will be announced separately in the coming weeks.

Australia ODI squad

Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Pat Cummins, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Mitchell Marsh, Oliver Peake, Matthew Renshaw, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.