Cricket Australia in a recent statement announced that injured pacer Nathan Ellis has been withdrawn from Australia’s upcoming 3-match ODI series against the West Indies and they have named all-rounder Will Sutherland as his replacement. This was the third replacement made by the Australian board after Glenn Maxwell and Jhye Richardson also withdrew from the series.
The Australians are scheduled to play the 3 ODIs right after the 2nd Test against the West Indies from January 25-29 at the Gabba in Brisbane. Will Sutherland, who hasn’t had much success on the domestic circuit, hopes to make his international debut in the series.
He participated with the Melbourne Renegades in the current BBL season, which is at its business end. Given that the Renegades finished seventh in the league standings, Will Sutherland’s individual performance wasn’t all that special either. In terms of bowling, the all-rounder took 7 wickets in 7 games and scored 112 runs with the bat but maintained a strike rate of over 160 throughout.
In addition to Sutherland, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Xavier Bartlett also replaced Maxwell and Richardson. While Big Show was sidelined due to him being hospitalized after a big night of partying, Jhye Richardson is dealing with some long-term side strain.
The Australians will play without Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc as they have all been rested after months of non-stop cricket. That opens the door for Sean Abbott and Bartlett, among other bowlers, to make their mark in the series in which Ellis could also have won his 20th cap.
But still, someone’s loss is someone’s gain, and that someone is Will Sutherland, who has 948 runs and 115 wickets in 37 first-class games. During the last Sheffield Shield season, the 24-year-old experienced his best-ever season by collecting 41 wickets and also scoring a century, but his form and performances have dropped drastically this year.
Earlier this summer, Sutherland had stated that he would love to have a chance with the national team and stated that he had performed well whenever playing for Victoria with a winning mentality.
“I’ve always done better when I’ve focused on playing for the Vics and trying to win games for them, and if something happens with Australian stuff I’ll obviously be excited and looking forward to it.” – said Sutherland.
Pat Cummins says giving opportunities to players like Will Sutherland is a good decision
All-format captain Pat Cummins said giving opportunities to youngsters like Will Sutherland is a good move given there are ICC events in 2025 and 2027 and Australia should be shaping the future.
“I don’t think there are many players who were part of the last World Cup that will be there, so you start looking, trying to give exposure to some of these young stars who have done very well at the state level,” Cummins said, Quoted by Cricket.com.au.
Team Australia: Steve Smith (c), Travis Head (vc), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Lance Morris, Matt Short, Will Sutherland, Adam Zampa
West Indies team: Shai Hope (c), Alzarri Joseph, Alick Athanaze, Teddy Bishop, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Gudakesh Motie, Kjorn Ottley, Romario Shepherd, Oshane Thomas , Hayden Walsh Jr.