Cricket news: Lance Morris set for Australia debut for West Indies ODI series

After more than 12 months on the fringes of Australia’s Test squad, rising paceman Lance Morris is set to be unleashed against the West Indies in the one-day international series.

Rising paceman Lance Morris is likely to play for Australia this summer, just not necessarily in Test cricket.

While the West Australian – who has been on the fringes of Australia’s Test squad for more than 12 months – continues to wait in the wings behind Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland, the firebrand nicknamed “The Wild Thing” is poised to be unleashed against the West Indies in the three-match one-day international series in early February that follows the Frank Worrell Trophy clashes.

While public attention has centred around the impending Test squad announcement and the search for an opener to replace David Warner, it’s understood Morris is set to be included in the Aussie one-day squad that could be named as early as Wednesday alongside the Test squad.

Lance Morris is set to be unleashed for Australia in the ODI series against the West Indies. Picture: Getty Images

His inclusion would serve dual needs: beginning the regeneration of the world champions following their ODI triumph in India last November, as well as allowing the cross-format stars a reprieve given there is little internal appetite for them to be rested during the Windies Tests.

Australia tours New Zealand for two Tests across February and March following white-ball commitments against the Windies and Black Caps.

Lance Morris in Australia camp during a nets session at the WACA in Perth. Picture: Getty Images

With Warner having also announced his ODI retirement, with the caveat that he could return for next year’s Champions Trophy, Victorian all-rounder Matt Short is poised for a recall after being a travelling reserve at the start of the World Cup.

The one-dayers against the Windies – -played in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra – are Australia’s only scheduled matches in the format in the first half of the year.

While World Cup-winning captain Cummins said in November he was open to remaining one-day skipper, he indicated that he would be delicately managed during periods in which one-day cricket was not a priority.

“We’ve been pretty open, me and Andrew and George around different times in the year you’re going to have different priorities,” Cummins said.

“This is a bit of a one-off year where there’s three or four big off-season events. After here the focus shifts back to Test cricket for a fair while. Probably like we’ve done in the past, at times white-ball cricket is going to have to shift (as a priority) so we fully focus on Test cricket.

“There’s no end date in sight.

“I feel like I’ve been managed really well and looked after in a really, really busy year where you don’t really want to give up any cricket.”

Originally published as Cricket news: Lance Morris set for Australia debut for West Indies ODI series