Speaking to the media on Monday, Australian men's national team selector George Bailey made it clear that David Warner would not be considered for selection for the upcoming Champions Trophy in Pakistan, despite the batter being open to returning in Australia colours.
George Bailey was addressing reporters after the announcement of Australia's squad for the white-ball tour of Scotland and England in September, when he was asked about David Warner's status in the national team. Warner had announced his retirement from international cricket following the T20 World Cup, while stating that if he were selected he would be willing to play the Champions Trophy in early 2025.
Bailey: Warner just stirring the pot a bit
From a selection point of view, Bailey made it clear that they would not be looking at Warner for the tournament: "Our understanding is that David is retired, and [he] should be commended on what has been an incredible career across all three formats.
"You never know when Bull's joking … think he's just stirring the pot a bit. He's had a wonderful career, can't celebrate it enough, and think as time goes by, his legacy of what he has done for Australia and we reflect back on that, the legend of a player is only going to continue to grow.
"But as far as this team goes and the journey to transition to some different players, in his case across all three formats, it's going to be exciting."
Bailey: No one else is out of contention
At the same time, Bailey did say that the door was not closed on anyone else: "I don't think there's anyone who's not there that we've put a line through permanently besides David."
This was particularly relevant to another senior player in wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, who played the 2024 T20 World Cup but was left out of the T20I and ODI sides to tour England and Scotland. Instead, Australia named Josh Inglis (T20Is and ODIs) and Alex Carey (ODIs) as their keepers. It is thought (informally) that Wade will not play many more games for Australia.
Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cooper Connolly ✅
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Read all about Australia's squad for the tour of the United Kingdom: https://t.co/baCWhTKn4l pic.twitter.com/lFTiDJ35Cv
Bailey also named the Champions Trophy as an important tournament for the likes of Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell. Performances and results in the competition could influence discussions on both players' futures in the T20 format, specifically whether they would continue playing until the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Both players were named in the ODI squad, but left out of the T20I squad for the UK tour, which has a few inexperienced faces. All-rounder Cooper Connolly received a maiden national team call-up, while Jake Fraser-McGurk, Spencer Johnson, Aaron Hardie, and Xavier Bartlett made the cut as well.
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