Australia cricket team for South Africa: Alex Carey replaces Matthew Wade; Mark Steketee earns maiden call-up

Australia cricket team for South Africa: Australia have announced a 19-member Test squad for the upcoming tour of South Africa.

Australia have dropped batsman Matthew Wade for their upcoming tour of South Africa which will comprise of a three-match Test series.

Wade, who had faced severe criticism after scoring 173 runs in four Tests at an average of 21.62 against India, will instead tour New Zealand as the vice-captain of the T20I squad next month.

The @KFCAustralia Player of the Match is Matthew Wade! #BBL10 pic.twitter.com/r8rsISb7Ss

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 24, 2021

While Wade played a couple of Test matches as a makeshift opening batsman, him giving away his wicket after playing rash shots after returning back to the usual No. 5 position further didn’t work in his favour.

“Matthew [Wade] in our view hasn’t done enough…over probably quite a few Test matches now. I’m not being unfair to him, he would recognise that fact as well,” Australia national selector Trevor Hohns said in a statement.

“He’s holding down a batting position at No. 5, sure he put his hand up to have a crack up the top, but holding down a specialist batting position he hasn’t quite done enough. As a senior player, we expect a little bit more.”

Australia cricket team for South Africa

White-ball wicket-keeper batsman Alex Carey, who has now represented Australia on 72 occasions across the two formats, has been included as a back-up wicket-keeper to Australia captain Tim Paine. While the rest of the squad which played against India has been retained including former vice-captain Travis Head, Queensland fast bowler Mark Steketee has received a maiden call-up to the Test squad.

In 42 first-class matches, the 27-year old player has picked 144 wickets at an average of 26.77, an economy rate of 2.94 and a strike rate of 54.5.

Contrary to the reports of the Test series having it in it to shift to Perth, it will now be played in South Africa as per the original plan. Having said that, dates for the same are yet to be announced.

Australia Test Team for South Africa tour – Tim Paine (c), Pat Cummins (vc), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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