TL;DR — the direct answer: Australia have rested most of their frontline Test players for the home one-day international and Twenty20 series against England over the next month, naming a host of fresh faces on Monday 2 November 2026. Experienced all-rounder Mitchell Marsh will captain both squads. Star fast bowlers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are among those rested, after Australia's 2-1 Test series defeat in South Africa, ahead of a home Test series against New Zealand starting 9 December.
What happened: The ODI series begins in Perth on 13 November, with further matches in Adelaide and Hobart, followed by five T20 matches in Melbourne, the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra in late November and early December. The squads are deliberately developmental: exciting young quick Mahli Beardman, 21, returns to international cricket following an injury layoff and is one of six players named in both squads, alongside all-rounders Jack Edwards and Liam Scott, who also earn call-ups. Only Travis Head, Matthew Renshaw, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis and Cooper Connolly from the side that lost the Test series in South Africa back up in the ODI team, and none of that group will play the T20s.
Why it is trending: Resting Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood together is a statement about priorities. Australia are choosing to protect their Test attack for the New Zealand series and, beyond it, a tour of India for five Tests, a 150th anniversary clash in Melbourne against England, and then an Ashes campaign. The white-ball series against England therefore becomes a trial ground: a chance for the next generation to stake claims ahead of the 2027 World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. For England, the series is a different test — facing a second-string Australian attack is still facing Australia at home, but the absence of the big three removes the fear factor that usually defines the contest.
Background / context: Australia's scheduling squeeze explains the call. Their multi-format players are transitioning directly from the tour of South Africa into an ODI and T20 series, leaving a narrow window to ensure the squad is physically prepared and fresh for the New Zealand Tests, in the words of the selectors' reasoning reported by Reuters. The ODI squad is: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Mahli Beardman, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Jack Edwards, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Ollie Peake, Matthew Renshaw, Liam Scott and Adam Zampa. The T20 squad is: Marsh, Bartlett, Beardman, Nikhil Chaudhary, Tim David, Joel Davies, Edwards, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sam Harper, Spencer Johnson, Mitch Owen, Lachlan Shaw and Zampa.
What we know / what is unconfirmed: Confirmed: both squads in full, Marsh as captain of both, the ODI dates and venues (Perth 13 November, then Adelaide and Hobart), the five T20 venues, the rested Test stars, and the New Zealand Test series starting 9 December. Unconfirmed: who will open, who will keep wicket in each format, and whether any of the fresh faces will force their way into the Test reckoning — those are selection decisions for match day, not announcements made on 2 November. Any claim that Australia are “not taking England seriously” is commentary, not a selector's statement; the stated reason is workload and freshness for the Test summer.
What happens next: The first ODI in Perth on 13 November will be the first real evidence of whether the refresh works. Watch Beardman, whose return from injury is the human story of the squad, and Edwards and Scott, whose all-round utility could make them fixtures if they seize the opportunity. If the young side competes, Australia's depth looks enviable; if it is swept, the debate about resting stars will intensify — but the selectors have already made their bet, and the Test series against New Zealand is the prize they are protecting.
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Q: Who captains Australia's white-ball squads against England?
A: Mitchell Marsh, for both the ODI and T20 squads.
Q: Which Test stars are rested?
A: Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, among most frontline Test players, ahead of the New Zealand Test series.
Q: When does the ODI series start?
A: In Perth on 13 November 2026, with further ODIs in Adelaide and Hobart, then five T20s.
Sources: Reuters — Australia rest Test players, name fresh squads
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