Australia Rest Cummins, Hazlewood, and Starc for England White-Ball Series

Australian cricket is entering a period of high-density Test fixtures that follows a recent loss to South Africa. The national team has excluded Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc from its upcoming squads for matches against England. The three pace bowlers are resting for a three-match One Day International series that begins in Perth on 13 November.

The decision leaves the veteran seamers out of the five-match Twenty20 series starting on 21 November as well. Starc, who is 36 years old, has already retired from the shortest format. Cummins remains the official captain for the fifty-over competition, though he has played only one such match since November 2024. Mitchell Marsh, the current T20 skipper, will again lead the ODI team in Cummins' absence.

New faces appear in the selection lists. Mahli Beardman, 21, is named in both squads and may make his international debut in the ODI matches. Sam Harper and Lachlan Shaw, both uncapped, are included specifically for the T20 fixtures. Nathan Ellis, a regular in white-ball cricket, appears only in the T20 squad due to a side strain suffered during the September tour of South Africa and Zimbabwe. Jack Edwards, who debuted on that same trip, is selected for both formats.

The squad composition differs between the two formats. Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, and Matt Renshaw are named for the ODIs but omitted from the T20 list. These players all participated in the recent Test series against South Africa. Conversely, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Mitchell Owen return to the T20 squad after missing recent series. Tim David is selected solely for the shorter format, despite recently returning to domestic fifty-over cricket.

The resting of the main seamers aligns with a demanding calendar ahead. Australia begins a four-match home Test series against New Zealand on 9 December. This is followed by a five-Test tour of India starting on 21 January. A one-off Test match against England is scheduled for 11 March at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to mark the 150th anniversary of the Ashes. The team may also contest the World Test Championship final at the Oval on 9 June.

The five-game Ashes series runs from 18 June to 2 August. The ODI World Cup in South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe begins on 7 October. Cummins, Starc, and Hazlewood are expected to feature frequently in these upcoming Test engagements. The final T20 match against England is set for 2 December.