New Delhi, Sep 14 (IANS): Australia pacer Nathan Ellis sees the six ODIs against Zimbabwe and South Africa this month as a crucial opportunity to stake his claim for the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup squad, with the 31-year-old using the upcoming assignments in southern Africa to sharpen his game and help Australia understand conditions they could encounter during next year’s title defence.
Australia begin their three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe in Harare on Tuesday before travelling to face South Africa in another three-game series later this month. With the 2027 World Cup set to be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, Ellis believes the fixtures offer Australia valuable preparation time rather than simply another block of bilateral cricket.
Describing the period as an extended preparation window, Ellis said the Australian camp was focused on extracting as much information as possible from the matches.
“As a team it’s gathering information, getting what we can out of it. What works, what doesn’t work. It’s a great platform and gives us a big runway into the World Cup next year,” Ellis was quoted by cricket.com.au.
For Ellis, the series also carries a personal significance. He missed Australia’s successful 2023 World Cup campaign because of injury and will be eager to ensure he is fit and performing when the selectors settle on the 15-player squad for the next edition.
The right-armer has since established himself as an important member of Australia’s white-ball plans, offering versatility through his variations and an ability to contribute during both the powerplay and death overs.
With six ODIs scheduled across Zimbabwe and South Africa, Ellis sees plenty of scope for the Australian group to test ideas before the World Cup arrives.
“It’s a great opportunity for us here. We’ve got six games to get what we can out of it, gather as much information and start putting that all together for the big tournament next year,” he added.
The Zimbabwe series will also give Australia an opportunity to settle an old score. Zimbabwe stunned them by 23 runs at the T20 World Cup in Colombo earlier this year, and Ellis believes that result has added another layer to their upcoming meetings.
“We’ve played them (Zimbabwe) a little bit now and I guess you could say we’ve built up a little bit of a rivalry,” Ellis noted.
“They’ve had the wood over us more recently in the T20 World Cup so I’m excited to not only try and get a little bit of redemption but also start building towards the one day World Cup in a year or so time,” he stated.
