SerpApi.Org
Young guns Sam Konstas and Campbell Kellaway have been named in the Cricket Australia XI to face Bangladesh in a tour match in Darwin next month ahead of the first Test in a further sign that Australia's selectors see the duo as long-term Test opening prospects.
New South Wales and two-Test batter Kurtis Patterson has also been named, indicating he remains a player of national interest, while Western Australia offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli has been included with an eye towards the Australia A and Test tours of India that are coming September and January respectively.
CA have named a 14-man squad for the three-day match against Bangladesh which serves as a warm-up for the first Test that starts on August 13.
Konstas, 20, has already played five Tests for Australia but has not been in the Test frame since a nightmare tour of the Caribbean last winter. He made 660 runs at 33 in the Sheffield Shield last summer with one century and two half-centuries, finishing fifth on the runscoring list behind three other openers in Sam Harper, Cameron Bancroft and Henry Hunt.
Kellaway, 23, also made one century and two fifties last year but had leaner overall returns averaging just 26.78 for the summer.
But the pair are seen as long-term Test opening prospects despite modest overall first-class records. They opened together in two matches for Australia A in India last year sharing stands of 198 and 56 unbroken in the first unofficial Test against India A in Lucknow.
Patterson's career resurgence has been noteworthy after experiencing struggles in Shield cricket despite scoring an unbeaten Test century in his last Test innings in 2019 against Sri Lanka. In the last two years he has averaged 48 across 23 first-class matches in a variety of conditions and made four centuries including one for Australia A against England Lions. Despite being 33 he remains in the selectors thoughts as a possible Test middle-order player.
Rocchiccioli has been the leading spinning in Shield cricket over the past five seasons with 151 wickets at 29.16. Only South Australia seamer Nathan McAndrew taking more wickets overall. But he remains slightly behind CA contracted duo Todd Murphy and Matt Kuhnemann for Test consideration, although he is highly regarded and has played for Australia A on several occasions including touring India last year.
Two wicketkeeper-batters in Josh Philippe and Jake Doran have been included alongside a relatively young pace attack. The team will be coached by former Australia coach and current Under 19s mentor Tim Nielsen.
Meanwhile, South Australia and Australia A batter Jason Sangha and Australia's newest T20I player Joel Davies have been included in a group of 12 Australian development players who will head to Chennai to part-take in the annual MRF Academy Program. Former Australia captain Tim Paine will mentor the group that also includes South Australia legspinner Lloyd Pope, former Australia Under-19 World Cup winning captain Hugh Weibgen and current Under-19 batter Steven Hogan.
Cricket Australia XI vs Bangladesh
Campbell Kellaway, Campbell Thompson, Corey Rocchiccioli, Hanno Jacobs, Jake Doran, Jerrssis Wadia, Josh Philippe, Kurtis Patterson, Sam Konstas, Teague Wyllie, Tom Menzies, Tom Rogers, Xavier Crone, Noah McFadyen
CA MRF Academy Development Squad
Aryan Sharma, Doug Warren, Hugh Weibgen, Jack Sinfield, Jason Sangha, Jayden Goodwin, Joel Davies, Lloyd Pope, Matt Gilkes, Rafael MacMillan, Riley Kingsell, Steven Hogan
