Veteran opener David Warner has been rested for the white-ball leg of Australia’s upcoming tour to Pakistan slated to be held from March 4 to April 5.
The southpaw will feature in the three-match Test series but will sit out during the limited-overs series, comprising three ODIs and one T20I.
Australia on Tuesday (February 22) announced a 16-member squad for the four white-ball fixtures as they gear up to tour Pakistan for the first time since 1998.
The squad doesn't include Test skipper Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc as well. The pace trio has also been given a rest for the white-ball leg of the Pakistan tour.
The aforementioned players, however, can travel to India immediately after the Test series against Pakistan and serve their quarantine to be available to play the IPL 2022 from April 6.
Swashbuckling batter Glenn Maxwell will not be available for the ODIs and a T20I against Pakistan as he is due to tie the marriage knot in late March.
Test wicketkeeper Alex Carey features in the squad even though he hasn’t played a white-ball game for Australia since last August.
Star batter Steve Smith, who suffered a concussion during the Sri Lanka series, has been named in the squad despite concerns around his form in the shorter formats.
"We have picked a talented and versatile squad with a number of challenges to juggle, including the tour structure of predominantly 50 over games, management of several multi format players in the medium to long term; and our need to build experience and depth in preparation for two short form World Cups within the next 18 months," chairman of selectors George Bailey said.
"We're confident the squad can both compete successfully on this tour and continue our progress towards those crucial tournaments."
The white-ball series will get underway with the first ODI in Rawalpindi on March 29.
Australia’s white-ball squad:
Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa
