Tim Paine is expected to be named as captain for next month's one-day series in England, where the Australian team will gather for the first time since the ball tampering debacle in South Africa.
What is expected to be a 14-man squad for the five-match campaign, beginning June 13, will be officially announced on Tuesday, with Aaron Finch set to be vice-captain.
Finch was also in line to lead Australia in one Twenty20 international against England and a T20 tri-series in Zimbabwe featuring the host nation as well as Pakistan.
The one-day team will be a new-look side, for it will be without suspended batsmen Steve Smith and David Warner and injured spearhead Mitch Starc and allrounder Mitch Marsh. Injured fast bowler Pat Cummins is also likely to miss.
There had been consideration to resting Paine, who inherited the Test captaincy for the final clash in South Africa when Smith was suspended for a year for his role in the ball-tampering scandal. Paine had returned home nursing a troublesome finger but this has healed.
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Now that Justin Langer has been unveiled as coach, it's seen as important that he and Paine begin in unison their cultural overhaul of the team, although this one-day squad will greatly differ to the next Test squad. Paine's elevation means he is the frontrunner to lead the team through next year's World Cup in England.
South Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey, fresh with a CA contract, is firmly in the frame to also tour, as it's seen that he and Paine could play in the same team.
Paine is set to be named ODI skipper.
Photo: THEMBA HADEBE
Starc, nursing a bone stress reaction in his leg, and Marsh, who batted at No.5, could not be considered after having ankle surgery.
Warner's absence means Finch will need a new opening partner. Travis Head, who opened alongside Warner in Australia's last one-day international, against England in Perth, Usman Khawaja and Joe Burns are options.
Allrounder Marcus Stoinis, who made 87 at No.3 in that Perth match, could retain this spot. Smith had been the rock at No.4 but his spot in the middle order could go to Glenn Maxwell, Peter Handscomb or Shaun Marsh. George Bailey, despite having played the last of his 90 one-day internationals in 2016, has also been raised as an option.
Cummins has been nursing a back injury since the tour of South Africa. He was found to have had hot spots in his back, having endured a heavy workload through the home Ashes series and in the ill-fated series against the Proteas.
His manager Neil Maxwell told Fairfax Media the star fast bowler would be best served by a rest through the winter in preparation for the Test series against Pakistan, slated for the United Arab Emirates, in October.
"I would like for them (selectors) to have a long-term view of the situation. There are 18 months of solid cricket coming up. If he were able to miss a handful of one-dayers, it would give him that preparation period for what is going to be a hectic cricket calendar moving forward," he said.
Maxwell said Cummins, who had to pull out of the Indian Premier League, was training but not bowling.
Josh Hazlewood is expected to lead the attack, with fellow CA-contracted quicks Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Billy Stanlake and Andrew Tye as options. Ashton Agar shapes as the frontline spinner.
The squad announcement comes as an independent review into CA's culture, by Sydney-based organisation, The Ethics Centre, and led by Dr Simon Longstaff, gets underway.
This review has reportedly caused angst among the board, with CA director and former mining boss Bob Every abruptly quitting on Friday. Every, whose term was to expire in October, argued against CA chairman David Peever's decision to commission Longstaff, according to the Australian Financial Review. However, there have been claims Every had an issue with CA's nominations process.
In a statement, Peever said: "Bob has served on the CA board for more than two and a half years and has made a valuable contribution over that time."
Peever, a former Rio Tinto Australia managing director, was elected CA's first independent chairman in October, 2015. His three-year term expires this year. He is understood to want another three-year term but cricket insiders claim any lobbying for this should be done after the review is completed and recommended changes published.
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Jon Pierik is a sports writer with The Age, focusing primarily on AFL football, cricket and basketball. He has won awards for his cricket and basketball writing.
Chris Barrett is a Sports Writer with The Sydney Morning Herald.
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