Smith, Warner and Bancroft notable absentees from CA contract list

Melbourne, April 11: Suspended trio Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were missing from Cricket Australia's 2018-19 contract list, announced on Wednesday (April 11).

Axed captain Smith and vice-captain Warner – both serving 12-month bans – and Bancroft – a nine-month suspension – were notable absentees from CA's new-look 20-man list following their involvement in the ball-tampering scandal.

Australian cricket was left reeling after the deliberate ball-tampering plot during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.

But looking ahead to 2018-19, with an emphasis on the 2019 Cricket World Cup in England and Wales, CA handed contracts to five news faces – rising star Alex Carey, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Andrew Tye and all-rounder Marcus Stoinis.

However, spinner Adam Zampa was omitted, while injured pair James Pattinson and Nathan Coulter-Nile missed out after the likes of Jackson Bird and Chadd Sayers were also overlooked.

"This period is set to include a significant amount of limited-overs cricket, including the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in England and Wales," National selector Trevor Hohns said in a statement.

"For that reason, there has been a bit of a focus in this contracting period on white-ball cricket, as we look ahead to trying to win back-to-back World Cups."

Exciting times for five Aussie players, who have earned their first Cricket Australia player contracts today. FULL LIST: https://t.co/pl3NTmmCBS pic.twitter.com/CdBe0GDONG

— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) April 10, 2018

Hohns added: "Andrew [Tye] is an experienced bowler, who has been able to translate strong domestic performances onto the international stage in white-ball cricket.

"Alex [Carey] is the second wicket-keeper in this squad, alongside Tim Paine. He is a promising young player who has had a strong domestic summer and performed well in his international opportunities to date with bat and gloves.

"Kane [Richardson] has been rewarded for strong performances in the Sheffield Shield and his efforts when selected for Australia in limited-overs cricket, where he continues to impress.

"Jhye [Richardson] is a young fast bowler who has been on the fringes of selection in all three forms of the game. He’s an exciting prospect who has played ODI and T20 cricket for Australia this summer, and was in the Test squad for the recent tour of South Africa.

"Marcus [Stoinis] is a player who has featured regularly for Australia in limited-overs cricket over the last 12 months, and is a player of promise who has impressed with his all-round capabilities on the international stage."

Cricket Australia contracts: Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Matthew Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye.

Source: OPTA