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The seamer that Fleming thinks is 'really unlucky' to miss out on Champions Trophy squad
Lachlan Geleit • February 16th, 2025 5:44 pm
Damien Fleming considers Queensland’s Xavier Bartlett incredibly unlucky to miss out on Australia’s Champions Trophy squad.
With the tournament beginning on February 19, the Aussies were forced to make multiple late changes with all of Mitchell Starc (personal), Pat Cummins (injury) and Josh Hazlewood (injury) not available.
Without the big three, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Ben Dwarshius, Aaron Hardie and Spencer Johnson will operate as Australia’s pace options and Fleming thinks that Bartlett’s name should have also been in that group.
“The names they brought in were right up there, but probably one name that I thought was unlucky was Xavier Bartlett,” Fleming told SEN Afternoons.
“He’s a big, tall, bouncy, outswing bowler, he's got eight wickets in two One Day games. He's got 11 wickets in seven T20s.
“So, for me in Pakistan, the pictures will be really flat, they won't turn as much as we see in the Test matches and early wickets are premium in 50-over cricket.
“Once Starc left, I thought we’d see Bartlett opening the bowling with Spencer Johnson, which they do for Brisbane Heat.
“He's probably the one fast bowler I think's really unlucky not to be part of this.”
Australia’s first Champions Trophy game comes against England at Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday, February 22 (AEDT).
