Australia Finalises Squad for T20 World Cup, Big Names Miss Out
Despite maintaining the same playing squad from their preliminary list, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short have been added as reserves.
Notably, there is no room for Steve Smith, Jason Behrendorff, and Tanveer Sangha in the squad for the four-week tournament taking place in the West Indies and the USA.
Mitchell Marsh has been confirmed as the full-time T20I captain by Australia, a decision announced alongside their original squad on 1 May.
Ashton Agar, the left-arm spinner, has been recalled despite not having played a T20I since the last T20 World Cup held in Australia in 2022. Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, and Cameron Green join Glenn Maxwell in the final squad as all-rounder options.
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The Australian players and staff will arrive in the West Indies in stages, with those participating in the Indian Premier League given time at home before joining the group.
George Bailey, the Australian chair of selectors, stated that Fraser-McGurk and Short made “compelling cases” for selection, providing more than adequate cover should squad members be unavailable during the tournament.
“The short turnaround between fixtures makes it challenging to get players in at short notice in the event of injury,” Bailey said. “Matt provides the squad with an all-round skillset option, while Jake provides further batting cover.”
“Both players have exciting talents that can add to the squad if needed. If not, the experience will still be valuable in their respective development journeys at international level,” he added.
Travis Head made a stunning catch to dismiss Rohit Sharma, who mistimed a ball towards the covers.
Australia will kick off their T20 World Cup campaign against Oman in Barbados on June 5, followed by Group B fixtures against England, Namibia, and Scotland.
Australia Squad:
Mitchell Marsh (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Travelling Reserves:
Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matt Short
All teams are allowed to make changes to their squad until 25 May, after which any alteration will require approval from ICC’s Event Technical Committee.
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