Australia Finalises T20 World Cup Squad, 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 are no places 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 promotion announced alongside their original squad on 1 May.
Ashton Agar, the left-arm spinner, has been recalled despite not playing a T20I since the last T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022. Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, and Cameron Green, along with Glenn Maxwell, have made the final squad as all-rounder options.
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Squads Announced So Far
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.
Selection Committee’s Statement
George Bailey, the Australian chair of selectors, stated that Fraser-McGurk and Short presented “compelling cases” for selection and provide more than adequate cover should squad members be unavailable during the tournament.
He further added, “As the tournament proceeds, the short turnaround between fixtures makes it challenging to get players in at short notice in the event of injury. 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,” Bailey concluded.
Rohit Sharma mistimed a ball towards the covers, where Travis Head took an absolutely brilliant catch.
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.
‘Out of this World’ by Sean Paul and Kes: The official ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 anthem