The Aussies reveal their 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup with many big names missing the cut.
In a shocking revelation of their squad for the four-week competition in the West Indies and the USA, the 2021 T20 World Cup champions have left out veteran hitter Steve Smith, rising gun Jake Fraser-McGurk, seasoned seamer Jason Behrendorff, and all-rounder Matt Short.
Despite not having played a Twenty20 International since the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, left-arm spinner Ashton Agar receives a recall. Marcus Stoinis and Cameron Green, two all-rounders, also make the final team despite inconsistent performances in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
Australia confirmed Mitchell Marsh’s promotion to full-time T20I alongside the squad announcement, and the all-rounder will lead the team.
Australia’s selection chair George Bailey is optimistic about their performance in the ninth T20 World Cup as he feels their squad is well-balanced.
“It’s great to have Ashton Agar back into the squad following a spate of unfortunate and untimely injuries.
“We believe Ashton can play a critical role in this tournament along with Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Cam Green and Mitch Marsh in complementing our front-line attack options.
“The batting options available allow a tailored approach to each venue and opponent.”
Bailey pointed out that many in-form players were unlucky to be left off the squad due to the squad size of 15.
“Steve Smith, Matt Short, Jason Behrendorff, Aaron Hardie, Spencer Johnson and Xavier Bartlett were all part of long conversations, along with several others, including Jake Fraser-McGurk who is yet to play T20 International cricket but continues to impress and is developing rapidly,” Bailey added.
“Being constrained to a squad of 15 for World Cups is always a challenge given the different scenarios and options we’d like to cover.
“We will continue monitoring several players who have missed out on this preliminary squad and note that if we need to change this squad, we have the option to do so over the coming month in accordance with ICC regulations.
“Ultimately the balance of the final 15 needs to provide the best chance of being successful in this campaign.”
For the majority of the past year, Marsh has been serving as Australia’s T20I team’s temporary captain, but this will be his first significant competition as captain.
“It’s been an immense privilege to play for my country and now an even greater honour to lead the squad to a World Cup,” Marsh said,
“We have had some strong success in recent times and I am hopeful that will continue in what looks like a wide-open tournament.”
June 5 is Australia’s first match of the T20 World Cup 2024 against Oman in Barbados, followed by matches against England, Namibia, and Scotland in Group B.
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