In a bold move, Australia have named young batting sensation Sam Konstas in a 14-player Australia A squad that will travel to India for two red-ball four-day matches in Lucknow in September. Cooper Connolly, Nathan McSweeney, and Todd Murphy are the other Test-capped players featuring in the squad.
Sam Konstas, who recently had a disappointing series against West Indies, has been brought into the squad with the aim of getting him into the rhythm. Australia have also named a different squad for the three one-day games in Kanpur. Notably, Konstas made headlines during India’s tour of Australia last year when he took on the dangerous Jasprit Bumrah, blasting a 60-run knock.
“The subcontinent provides many unique challenges and the opportunity to utilise different skills with bat and ball,” said Bailey.
“We hope repeated experiences in these conditions will assist players in developing an effective method and understanding of their game for future subcontinent tours,” he added.
AUSTRALIA A FOUR-DAY SQUAD: Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Jack Edwards, Aaron Hardie, Campbell Kellaway, Sam Konstas, Nathan McSweeney, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Fergus O'Neill, Oliver Peake, Josh Philippe, Corey Rocchiccioli, Liam Scott.
AUSTRALIA A ONE-DAY SQUAD: Cooper Connolly, Harry Dixon, Jack Edwards, Sam Elliott, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Mackenzie Harvey, Todd Murphy, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Lachie Shaw, Tom Straker, Will Sutherland, Callum Vidler.