Australia have added Adam Voges to their squad for the one-day leg of their tour of England.
Western Australia batsman Voges, already in England for the two Twenty20 internationals, the second of which is set to take place here at Old Trafford later on Tuesday, has replaced Brad Haddin in the squad.
Wicketkeeper Haddin had surgery on a fractured finger last week, having sustained the injury while warming-up for the the drawn third Ashes Test at Edgbaston.
Australia already had a wicketkeeper in Tim Paine in their squads for the Twenty20s and the seven-match one-day international (ODI) series against England that starts at the Oval on Friday.
But Haddin’s injury left Australia light on batting and Voges’s call-up was no surprise given he made 72 in an ODI against Scotland in Edinburgh on Friday.
Although David Hussey made a hundred in that match, Voges, unlike Hussey, is a member of the Australia squad for the Champions Trophy in South Africa which follows on straight after the end of the England ODI series.
His inclusion now gives the 29-year-old Voges a chance to find some form before that event.
Andrew Hilditch, chairman of Australia’s National Selection Panel (NSP), said in a Cricket Australia statement: ”With Brad Haddin’s injury, the NSP has taken the opportunity to add Adam Voges to Australia’s squad for the seven one-day internationals against England.
”Adam will now stay with the squad for the remainder of the tour of England before travelling with the team to the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa.”
Voges has played two ODI and two Twenty20s for Australia, the second of which was Monday’s washed-out series opener against England at Old Trafford where he made an unbeaten 11.
His maiden one-day century in 2004/05, off 62-balls, was then the fastest in Australian domestic history.
Voges has also played English county cricket for Nottinghamshire and it was soon after scoring his maiden Championship century for
the Midlands side in August that he was recalled to the Australia squad for the Champions Trophy.
He had previously withdrawn from the squad for the ODI and Twenty20 leg of Australia’s tour of South Africa earlier this year because of a clash of dates with his wedding. — Sapa-AFP