Cameron Green and Josh Hazlewood are missing from Australia’s playing XI for the first ODI of the three-match series against Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club on Tuesday. Cricket Australia (CA) will continue to monitor Green and Hazlewood during the African tour.
Australia captain Mitchell Marsh won the toss and elected to bat on September 15. The three-match series is Australia’s first ODI tour of Zimbabwe since 2014. Australia have opted for a spin-heavy attack despite the unusually grassy surface prepared by the local curators in Harare.
Cameron Green and Josh Hazlewood Rested as Australia Manage Test Stars
Cameron Green and Josh Hazlewood have been rested for Australia’s series-opening ODI against Zimbabwe as the visitors manage their workloads ahead of the three-match Test series against South Africa next month.
Green has been dealing with right shoulder soreness, while Hazlewood was already expected to miss some of the six ODIs in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
The all-rounder batted in the nets during the build-up to the match but bowled only lightly on Sunday. The Australian medical team does not consider the shoulder issue serious, and the all-rounder was seen completing running drills before the toss in Harare.
Hazlewood, meanwhile, has been carefully managed as Australia look to have their premier Test quicks fully fit for the South Africa series. Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc are also set to miss the Zimbabwe ODIs before joining the squad for the matches in South Africa.
Mitchell Marsh Marks 100th ODI as Australia Back Young Talent
Mitchell Marsh won the toss and chose to bat on a sunny afternoon at Harare Sports Clu. He said the team was excited to return to Zimbabwe and use the series to give opportunities to some of their younger players.
“We are gonna bat first. It is a lovely day. But it's obviously nice to be back. As an Australian cricket team, to tour a place like this is always fantastic. Lot of fun off field."
"Yeah, look, a wealth of experience, mixed in with some youth, some really exciting youth for the future of Australian cricket. So we're looking forward to them hopefully getting opportunities at some stage and enjoying playing out here,” Marsh said at the toss.
Zimbabwe Eye Another Upset
Cameron Green’s absence leaves Australia with fewer bowling options in the top seven. Cooper Connolly is expected to shoulder much of the left-arm spin workload after returning to bowling following a five-month absence due to a back injury.
Travis Head, Matt Renshaw and Ollie Peake can also provide off-spin if required. Harare has traditionally been a difficult venue for high scores, with the average first-innings total at 231. Zimbabwe have also adopted a cautious approach in ODI cricket since the 2023 World Cup.
However, Zimbabwe will take confidence from their recent record against Australia. The hosts have won the last two meetings between the teams across formats, beating Australia at the T20 World Cup in Colombo earlier this year and in the third ODI of Australia’s 2022 tour in Townsville.
Australia Playing XI: Mitchell Marsh (c), Travis Head, Cooper Connolly, Josh Inglis (wk), Alex Carey, Matt Renshaw, Ollie Peake, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson.
Also read: “I wanted to play for Zimbabwe at one point” - Mitchell Marsh opens up on his childhood in Harare
