Australia will rest their three top fast bowlers for the remainder of the T20 series against Sri Lanka, giving them some much-needed rest before the tour of Pakistan.
Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood will all miss tomorrow’s fourth game and Sunday’s finale – Australia have already taken an unassailable 3-0 lead across the opening matches.
“Between Starc and Cummins, they’ve had a huge workload on the back of the World Cup and then a five-Test match Ashes series,” captain Aaron Finch told reporters today.
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“Josh coming back off a bit of injury and all them going to Pakistan shortly, we felt as though it was really important for them to be able to stay at home and get out of the bubble for a day or two, just to connect with family and friends.
“That was a no-brainer.”
Finch said Jhye Richardson would get the nod, with Adam Zampa also returning to the side after being rested for Tuesday’s series-clinching win.
Australia’s T20 form is red-hot, coming off a World Cup win late last year – although they won’t get long as the champions before having to defend their trophy on home soil in October.
“You always tend to have an eye towards ICC events and the fact that the final is here and that it’s my that’s my home ground personally,” Finch said.
“I’ve got some great memories here and a lot of the guys in the last World Cup squad did as well because we had the success of the 2015 ODI World Cup here.
“You can think about it, and dream about it, but the reality of it is a little bit different still,” he said of winning the tournament in Australia.
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