Australia's match-winner in the first ODI of the three-match series on Friday (February 2), Xavier Bartlett, has been rested for the second game, slated to be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Sunday, February 4.
The decision to rest Bartlett is a part of his workload management but the tall right-arm seamer is expected to come back for the third and the final ODI of the series.
Meanwhile, Travis Head who has endured three forgettable outings lately with scores of 0, 0 and 4, has been released from the ODI and the T20I squads whereas seamer Josh Hazlewood has been added to the team for the second ODI.
Bartlett was fairly impressive in his debut game as he bagged figures of 4/17 and decimated West Indies' batting order. The 25-year-old was awarded the Player of the Match for his sharp spell that took the West Indians by surprise.
Notably, he suffered a back injury last year and missed out on a major chunk of domestic cricket due to the same.
"I was injured at the start of this year and didn't have a chance to play any domestic cricket, which was a frustrating time. But you can kind of see the light at the end of the tunnel and you've just got to keep trying to work hard because these days don't happen very often in the game of cricket," Bartlett told after Australia's eight-wicket win in the first ODI.
On the other hand, Head's release may open a door of opportunity for the young and dynamic batter Jake Fraser-McGurk.
McGurk has played 17 List A games in his career thus far. The right-handed batter has aggregated 468 runs with a century and a half-century to his name. While his List A average is just 36.00, he has racked up his runs at a strike rate of 140.11.
