Mitchell Owen Earns First ODI Call-Up as Australia Name Squads for South Africa Series

After steamrolling West Indies with an 8-0 sweep across Tests and T20Is in the Caribbean, Australia have now turned their attention to the upcoming home series against South Africa. The Aussies have named strong squads for both ODIs and T20Is, with a few fresh faces and some big names returning to the fold.

The standout story is Mitchell Owen, who has earned his first-ever ODI call-up. Owen impressed in the T20 series against West Indies, scoring 125 runs at a strike rate of nearly 200, including a half-century on debut in Jamaica. The selectors clearly see him as a player who can bring firepower to the middle order. Owen also showcased his one-day potential last season with a blistering 149 off just 69 balls for Tasmania in the domestic One-Day Cup. 

Australia will also welcome back Travis Head and Josh Hazlewood, both of whom sat out the T20 leg of the Caribbean tour. Their returns add experience to a squad that will be without Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, who continue to rest ahead of a demanding home summer. In Cummins’ absence, Mitchell Marsh retains the captaincy for both formats. There’s also a spot for Marnus Labuschagne, who keeps his ODI place despite being left out of the Test squad in the Caribbean. Head coach Andrew McDonald had hinted at his selection earlier, and with Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell both retiring from ODIs, Labuschagne’s role looks more important than ever. Matthew Short, meanwhile, has recovered from a minor side strain and has been named in both squads. 

Some names from the West Indies series will not feature against South Africa. Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Cooper Connolly, and Xavier Bartlett miss out on the T20 squad, though Bartlett has been recalled for the ODIs. Fraser-McGurk only played one match, Connolly had modest returns, and Hardie chipped in with some useful cameos—including guiding Australia home in the final game of the T20 whitewash. 

For the ODIs, the vacancies created by Smith and Maxwell’s retirements opened the door for Owen, while Cameron Green also returns after his Test absence. Alongside them, Bartlett, Alex Carey, Lance Morris, and Adam Zampa round out a well-balanced unit. Australia’s white-ball assignments against South Africa begin on August 10. The opening two T20Is will be played in Darwin, followed by the final T20I and first ODI in Cairns. The tour wraps up in Mackay, where the last two ODIs will be contested. 

T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa  

ODI squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Lance Morris, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa