https://www.cricket.com.au/news/3622265Australia A four-day squad: Wes Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jordan Buckingham, Ben Dwarshuis, Caleb Jewell, Campbell Kellaway, Matthew Kelly, Matthew Kuhnemann, Nathan McAndrew, Nathan McSweeney, Joel Paris, Jimmy Peirson, Mitch Perry, Josh Philippe, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, Tim Ward
Australia A one-day squad: Wes Agar, Ollie Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Liam Hatcher, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Ben McDermott, Todd Murphy, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Gurinder Sandhu, Matt Short, Mark Steketee, Will Sutherland, Ashton Turner
A stacked Australia A one-day squad headed by Marnus Labuschagne will vie for back-up spots for this year's ODI World Cup with three 50-over matches against New Zealand A next month.
Labuschagne was on Monday omitted from Australia's preliminary 18-player ODI World Cup squad and will be joined in the Australia A team by other fringe white-ball stars such as Ben McDermott, Josh Philippe and Ashton Turner.
The squad – which includes six players with ODI experience – also features Matt Short, the reigning KFC BBL player of the tournament who is in line for a T20 international debut on the tour of South Africa that begins later this month.
Test off-spinner Todd Murphy gets a nod in the white-ball squad, alongside Victoria allrounder Will Sutherland and rising NSW talent Ollie Davies. That trio were singled out by national selector George Bailey as players "who have impressed us in limited-overs cricket for their states" as selectors put one eye on the next ODI World Cup cycle for the 2027 tournament in southern Africa.
The Australia A series, with matches split between Brisbane and Mackay, also features two four-day first-class games against New Zealand A, with Cameron Bancroft named in the squad offering the former Test opener first crack at making a claim to be David Warner's long-term replacement.
Warner has flagged he will retire after this summer's SCG Test against Pakistan, with his runs at The Oval in the final Ashes Test helping his case to hold his spot for a final summer.
Matthew Renshaw, another opening candidate and one endorsed by Warner himself, will miss the first-class matches but has been named in the one-day squad.
Bancroft could expect to open alongside rising Tasmania opener Tim Ward, another batter who dominated across the Tasman earlier this year with scores of 63, 75 and 67no.
The 25-year-old is currently in Chennai getting a taste of cricket in India as part of a select group that will train and play at the MRF Academy over the next fortnight.
Ward is part of nine players that also featured in the A series across the Tasman in April, a group that also includes Wes Agar, Jordan Buckingham, Caleb Jewell, Campbell Kellaway Nathan McSweeney, Mitch Perry and Queensland's veteran wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson.
Leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson is also included in the A squad again, alongside fellow Queensland tweaker Matthew Kuhnemann, and it's understood each will make one appearance in the first-class fixtures.
New faces in the four-day squad include Western Australia keeper-batter Philippe, South Australia allrounder Nathan McAndrew, WA's Matthew Kelly and fast bowling pair Mark Steketee and Ben Dwarshuis.
Players who were part of Australia's tour of the UK or who have had a "significant" amount of cricket over the winter were not considered for selection, explaining the absence of Marcus Harris, an unused squad player from the Ashes tour who is another contender to replace Warner as Test opener.
As previously revealed, WA's Adam Voges will head coach the Australia A squads, with former captain Tim Paine assisting for the first four-day game in his first official foray into coaching since retiring from playing.
Bailey added Cricket Australia was "committed to expanding the Australia A program", noting that seven players have gone on to graduate from the A squad to representing Australia in the past two years.
"As the series is played early in the summer before the Australian domestic season starts, we expect to rotate through both the four-day and one-day squads to ensure they are best prepared for the season ahead."
https://www.cricket.com.au/news/3622016David Warner's looming Test retirement has created a three-way battle to partner Usman Khawaja as opener, says Australia A coach Adam Voges.
Marcus Harris, Matthew Renshaw and Cameron Bancroft had put themselves "at the head of the queue" according to the WA and Perth Scorchers mentor, with Bancroft today announced as part of the Australia A side to take on New Zealand A in two four-day games from August 28.
Harris and Renshaw, both part of Australia's recent Ashes squad, won't take part in the red-ball matches, although Renshaw is set to play the three one-day matches that follow.
Prior to the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval, Warner reiterated that the SCG Test against Pakistan this summer would be his last, opening up a position in Australia's XI.
However the 36-year-old is no guarantee to be selected against Pakistan after returning an average of 22.80 in 2023, and a vacancy could yet emerge before the Sydney Test.
Whenever that happens, Voges said the contenders are clear.
"With Harris the spare batter over in the UK, with Renshaw being over there as well and the runs Cameron has scored in the last 12 months, I think all three have put themselves probably at the head of the queue for the vacant spot we know is coming."
Harris, who was awarded a CA contract in April for 2023-24, appears to be the preferred option but selectors opted against playing the Ashes tourists in the 'A' series after a six-week UK tour.
National selector George Bailey said of Harris in April: "Looking ahead, back in England, another home summer and then some Tests in New Zealand, we certainly rate Harry's ability in those conditions. Certainly one of our criteria when we're doing the contracts is past performance, but certainly another one is an eye to the future as well. So that perhaps gives an indication of where we hold Harry."
"What we do have is these Australia A games plus six games of Shield cricket to be played before we get to the Test summer, and that will be a great opportunity for all three of those guys to really put their hand up and stick their neck out ahead of the others.
"That's I'm sure what a lot of eyes will be on, and that's the opportunity that presents for those guys."