Australia pacer Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are set to play their first state match for New South Wales (NSW) against Victoria in a One-Day Cup clash.
The pacers will use the 50-over contest as a preparation for home summer, beginning with the month’s three ODIs against Pakistan followed by the five-match test series in the Border Gavaskar Trophy against India.
Hazlewood is also likely to play in the Blues’ next Sheffield Shield match against Queensland in Sydney due to which he will be missing the first ODI on November 04 in Melbourne.
Meanwhile, Steve Smith has been named in the squad to face Victoria at the Junction Oval despite his 3 and 0 scored in this week’s shield fixture.
On the other hand, Mitchell Starc has returned home after a sensational start to the home summer with a six-wicket haul in the second innings.
A couple of handy inclusions for @CricketNSWMen for Friday’s One-Day Cup clash with Victoria!
Details: https://t.co/s696eB71aw pic.twitter.com/hG1G7vFtRS
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) October 24, 2024
“It’s been a while between red-ball games, nearly got to 40 overs … so pretty happy,” Starc said during his side’s 141-run defeat.
“The rhythm was there, I felt probably the best I’ve felt for a while actually across the two innings … (it’s) a good place to be at the front of the summer.”
Cummins has been out of action since his appearance in Major League Cricket in July and has been out of Australia’s White ball tour of Scotland and England due to workload management and his preparations for home summer.
He hasn’t played for NSW since March 2021, while Hazlewood last featured for the Blues in the 2020-21 Sheffield Shield final.
Glenn Maxwell has been also included in Victoria after getting through a second Xl match last week while opener Matt Short returns after overcoming an abductor injury suffered during his match-winning half-century in the fifth ODI England in September.
The Victorian pair will also feature in the ODI series against Pakistan alongside Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood, Smith and Sean Abbott, who has been managed for the One-Day fixture after his 5/62 and 2/52 against Victoria in his first Shield appearance in almost 20 months.
Daniel Hughes has been ruled out with an elbow injury suffered playing Premier Cricket that could see him sidelined for up to 10 weeks. Moises will be leading NSW with a captain Jack Edwards has been sidelined with a hamstring injury.
NSW One-Day Cup squad vs Victoria: Pat Cummins, Ollie Davies, Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Liam Hatcher, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques (c), Sam Konstas, Nic Maddinson, Josh Philippe, Tanveer Sangha, Lachlan Shaw, Steve Smith
