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Cameron Green one of just three West Aussies to receive Cricket Australia national contracts

Rob ForsaithAAP
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 06: Cameron Green of WA brings up 100 runs during day one of the Sheffield Shield match between Queensland and Western Australia at The Gabba on March 06, 2021 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)
Camera IconBRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 06: Cameron Green of WA brings up 100 runs during day one of the Sheffield Shield match between Queensland and Western Australia at The Gabba on March 06, 2021 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images) Credit: Jono Searle/Getty Images

Travis Head and Will Pucovski have failed to make the cut in Cricket Australia’s 17-man contract list for 2021-22.

CA handed out 20 men’s contracts a year ago, but opted to trim that number for the coming year that features a Twenty20 World Cup in India and a home Ashes series.

Allrounder Cameron Green, who made his Test debut in Adelaide then played the rest of Australia’s series against India, has been rewarded with a national contract.

But fellow young gun Pucovski, widely considered the leading contender to open the batting alongside David Warner against England, was overlooked.

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Head, Joe Burns, Mitch Marsh and Matthew Wade, who received CA contracts for 2020-21, have been dumped from the list.

Former vice-captain Head, like Burns, was dropped from the Test side at the halfway point of Australia’s series against India.

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However, Head was selected in the most recent Test squad for a tour of South Africa that was ultimately aborted because of the COIVD-19 pandemic.

Snubbed players can receive a CA contract if they play enough international fixtures during the coming year.

Travis Head
Camera IconTravis Head has been dropped from the list of Cricket Australia's contracted players. Credit: AP

“There is a considerable amount of international cricket to be played across all formats in the next 12 months and the door to national selection is never closed to players outside this list,” chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns said.

“The national selection panel continues to hold Joe Burns, Travis Head, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis in high regard and expect that they, and many others across Australian cricket, will continue to make strong cases.

“There will continue to be opportunities and support for players outside this group to represent Australia and earn an upgrade to a central contract.”

Reducing the number of contracts is a shift away from recent years, when the the governing body has sometimes handed out deals based on potential rather than performance.

“There are two main reasons,” Hohns said.

“We have seen format specialisation become increasingly prevalent in recent seasons which, accordingly, has resulted in a broader group of players representing Australia - often beyond the initial list of contracted players.

“Secondly, we want to create an environment where players strive for national selection through consistent domestic performances and earn national contracts through consistent international performances.”

CA contract list for 2021-22: Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Tim Paine, James Pattinson, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Adam Zampa.

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