(Reuters) – Batsman David Warner has been dropped from Australia’s one-day international squad while paceman Mitchell Starc will fly back home because of lower back soreness, the country’s cricket board said yesterday.
The aggressive left-handed batsman’s recent lack of runs in the 50-over format was the reason behind his dropping from the 15-man squad, said Darren Lehmann, who was appointed Australia’s coach before the start of the Ashes series against England.
“By his own admission, David would acknowledge that unfortunately he hasn’t scored the weight of runs that he would like recently in one-day cricket for his country,” Lehmann, who is also a selector, said in a Cricket Australia statement.
“Like all selection matters, it was a tough decision, but like all players he understands the situation and knows he needs to get back to playing Ryobi Cup (domestic 50-over tournament) and making a heap of runs that we can’t ignore.
“I spoke with David at length about what he needs to do and I’ve been impressed with his attitude since I’ve come into the Australian setup.”
The 26-year-old Warner, who was suspended from the Australian team for a bar room fracas with England batsman Joe Root during the Champions Trophy, managed 83 runs in four 50-over matches for Australia this year.
Starc, 23, is Australia’s latest injury headache with two other young fast bowlers, James Pattinson and Pat Cummins, also recovering from injuries. The experienced Ryan Harris has also been sidelined for two months with a hamstring problem.
“Mitch reported some lower back pain in recent days so we have decided it’s best for him to return to Australia for further assessment and investigation,” Australian cricket team doctor Peter Brukner said.
Australia will play a lone ODI against Scotland tomorrow before they start their five-match series against England on Friday.
Squad: Michael Clarke (captain), George Bailey, Fawad Ahmed, Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Josh Hazlewood, Phil Hughes, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Clint McKay, Adam Voges, Matthew Wade, Shane Watson.
