This tour includes the following matches
20/6 1 day game (D/N) vs Northamptonshire 23/6 1 day game vs Derbyshire 29/6 1 day game vs Worcestershire 30/6 - 3/7 4 day game vs Gloucestershire 7/7- 10/7 4 day game vs Sussex 14/7 - 17/7 Somebody is playing the England Lions, their A team in a 4 day game, Not sure why cricinfo has listed as part of the Australia A tour unless Australia A might be playing them. The timing works nicely. 23/7 - 26/7 vs Australia
The One day World Cup runs from 30/5 to 14/7, with Australia's last guaranteed game being on 6/7 so players part of the World Cup squad are not going to be able to be picked in the Australia A team. This might effect players like Richardson, Carey, Maxwell, Handscomb and possibly others.
The first test of the Ashes start on 1/8 so the Aus- A vs Aus game is really close to the first teat. I could perhaps see the Ashes squad being picked after the 4 day game against Sussex as the vast majority of the squad will be with the World Cup squad or the Aus A squad. Then again if the one day team makes the WC final perhaps it would be announced just after that. Paine, Burns, Head and Lyon could be neither squad, maybe Khawaja does not make the WC squad and maybe there will be a fast bowler in the same situation.
With 4 Shield rounds to go and the Shield final these is plenty of time for players to play them into or out of the Australian A team. The selection is also a bit complicated by the 3 one day games at the start of tour. Will there be players selected specifically for these games or will there be players selected in the squad because of their one day ability who also play the 4 day games?
Still at the moment there is a number of players who seem to be very strong chances to make the Australia A tour and perhaps give themselves a shot at the Ashes squad. Marcus Harris, Matt Renshaw, Will Pucovski and Chris Tremain seem to be the most obvious 4 picked. Other batsmen in contention might be Lehmann, Sangha and maybe the likes of Patterson, Labuschagne, Burns and Head will be put in the squad. Bowlers might be Pattinson, Meredith, Steketee and Worral. Maybe even Hazlewood makes the squad. Not sure who the wicketkeeper might be if Carey makes the WC squad, perhaps Wade or Pierson.
The spinner in the side is very much open, Holland is probably Lyon's number 2 but he surely will not play in the A team. Perhaps Agar or Swepson or Pope will bowl themselves into the A squad in the remaining Shield matches.
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