Ashton Turner has been called into Australia’s One-Day International squad against India as a cover for Mitchell Marsh ahead of the first ODI at SCG on Saturday (January 12). Marsh has been recovering from gastritis at the hospital for the past couple of days and will not play the first ODI, coach Justin Langer confirmed.
Turner, a middle-order batsman who can bowl occasional offspin, has played three T20Is for Australia – all three coming in the T20I series against Sri Lanka in February 2017. With their major players in India preparing for the first Test in Pune then, Australia went on to lose the T20I series 2-1 and Turner went off radar just like that.
Langer noted Turner’s running between the wickets and his ability to finish innings as major driving forces behind his recall to the national set-up.
“I remember when Mike Hussey came into Australian cricket, the thing that almost got him a shot in the one-day side was his running between his wickets,” Langer said. “That might sound like the dumbest thing you’ve ever heard but you watch Ashton Turner, the way he runs between wickets is unbelievable.
“He’s such a great athlete, it puts so much pressure (on the opposition). One of the hallmarks of great Australian teams, you think about Dean Jones and Michael Bevan and Michael Hussey, is the running between (wickets). It’s a basic (skill) but we’ve also been talking about getting players who can finish off innings and he’s shown that in what we can go off in Big Bash cricket, he’s in great form.”
Turner captains Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League and has been among the runs this season. He has scores of 60*, 47 and 43* in his last three innings, the latest coming in Scorchers’ second win of the season on Wednesday.
“He can finish the innings off well, an elite athlete in the field and he’s also a captain,” Langer said. “You see the way he finishes off an innings that he’s a good thinker of the game like most of the great finishes and a really good leader, good person around the group. Very excited to see him come in.”
