Australia adds six more players to preliminary list for West Indies and Bangladesh tours

Two of the six- Ben McDermott and Dan Christian- are currently playing county cricket in England.

The Australian selection panel, which had announced an initial 23-player extended list last month, will announce the final squad in the upcoming weeks.

The Australian selectors on Tuesday added Ben McDermott, Dan Christian, Cameron Green, Ashton Turner, Wes Agar and Nathan Ellis to the preliminary list of players, selected for the team's limited-overs tours to West Indies and Bangladesh.

Announcing the decision, National  Selector Trevor Hohns expressed delight for the chosen players and added that the well-being of the players was of utmost importance during these Covid times.

“We are delighted to recall Ben, Dan, Cameron and Ashton and welcome Wes and Nathan onto the preliminary list of players for the scheduled Australian men’s tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh,” Hohns said.

“During the course of those discussions, it has become clear that recent experiences abroad, including but not limited to extended periods in bio-secure hubs and hard quarantine, have had an  impact on the health and wellbeing of some players and their families.

“CA has maintained that the wellbeing of players, staff and officials is a top priority, and never moreso than during the Covid-19 pandemic given the extraordinary challenges it has placed upon international athletes and sporting teams," he added.

The Australian selection panel, which had announced an initial 23-player extended list last month, will announce the final squad in the upcoming weeks.

McDermott and Christian are currently playing county cricket for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire respectively and will return to Australia from England this week to complete the mandatory two-week quarantine period before the final squad’s scheduled departure for the Caribbean in late June.