Ind vs Aus 2020: Why is Kane Richardson not playing the India-Australia series?

Fast bowler Kane Richardson has withdrawn himself from Australia’s ODI and T20I squads to face India starting November 27, as he wants to stay home with his wife and newborn son in Adelaide. Andrew Tye has been drafted into the fold as a like-for-like replacement.

The development came after Kane Richardson pulled out of IPL 2020 and missed a couple of Sheffield Shield games recently to be with his wife during the birth of their son. Australian national selector Trevor Hohns spoke in support of Kane Richardson, while admitting the team will miss his services.

“Kane wanted to remain in Adelaide with Nyki and their newborn son. We will always support our players and their families; even more so given the challenging environment we are in. We will miss what he brings to the team but completely understand and support his decision,” Hohns told ESPNcricinfo.

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Andrew Tye last played for Australia 2 years back

Andrew Tye during an inter-squad warm-up in England

Australia have included an experienced bowler in Andrew Tye, but one shouldn’t forget that the 33-year-old pacer has played just one professional match since undergoing elbow surgery in November last year. Interestingly, he last played in yellow during India's previous tour Down Under in 2018.

Tye warmed the bench during the entire six-match limited-overs series against England in August-September, before playing just a solitary game for the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2020.

He even lost his Western Australia contract last winter, but still got the look-in ahead of Nathan Coulter-Nile and James Pattinson – both of whom played crucial roles in Mumbai Indians’ title-winning IPL season this year.

“AJ is incredibly skilled in both forms of the short game. He impressed in the UK with his high work ethic and his positive energy around the squad...He is a great player to be able to call on,” Hohns reasoned.

Notably, WA batsmen D’Arcy Short and Josh Philippe too have been called up to train with Australia’s white-ball squads in Sydney, despite being ignored from the original selection pool.