It goes without saying that Australia comes with a different mindset every time and no matter how much you debate or analyse, you will still fail to correctly assume the team’s tactics and they come out one again.
In brief –
1. Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell have been backed by the board for the important event of T20 World Cup
2. Despite their poor IPL performance, the national team understands their contribution
3. Pat Cummins has been replaced as the captain while Marsh to fill in the leading spot
After serving as interim captain for the past year, Mitchell Marsh has been officially appointed as Australia’s captain for the upcoming T20 World Cup. He will lead a formidable 15-member squad that includes the returns of Ashton Agar and Cameron Green, who haven’t featured in the shortest format for Australia since late 2022.
However, the squad doesn’t include veteran batsman Steve Smith, marking the first time since 2014 that Australia will participate in a World Cup without him.
Australia’s T20 World Cup 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
“It’s an immense privilege to play for my country, and now an even greater honor to lead the squad to a World Cup,” said Marsh. “We have had some strong success in recent times, and I am hopeful that will continue in what looks like a wide-open tournament.”
Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell returned to Royal Challengers Bangalore’s playing XI for its Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Maxwell had missed RCB’s last three games of the ongoing season after requesting the team management for a “mental and physical break”. He had revealed this after sitting out of the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 15.
Do you like Australia's #T20WorldCup squad?
More info: https://t.co/Xp4MyWl9vG pic.twitter.com/bF4POwDDQn
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) May 1, 2024
Meanwhile, Mitchell Starc, Kolkata Knight Riders’ most expensive acquisition at the last IPL Auction, found himself in great trouble after a terrible performance since match 1. In his last match against Delhi Capitals, Starc’s expensive spell, where he conceded 43 runs in just three overs, contrasted starkly with the overall tight bowling from his team, who restricted DC to 153/9.
Australia have named Mitchell Marsh as captain for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Ashton Agar has been included to bolster the spin attack for the potentially slow Caribbean pitches. Marsh is recovering well from injury and expected to be fully fit.
Adam Zampa is the lone frontline spinner, with Agar and Glenn Maxwell providing part-time spin options. Cameron Green was preferred over the in-form Jake Fraser-McGurk for his batting versatility in the middle order.
Australia have retained the opening duo of David Warner and Travis Head, with Warner recovering from a hand injury. Matthew Wade and Josh Inglis are the two wicketkeepers.
Nathan Ellis joins the pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. Steve Smith missed out, along with several other contenders like Aaron Hardie and Matt Short.
The selection panel acknowledged the difficulty in picking a 15-member squad while covering all bases. They will continue monitoring other players and have the option to make changes before the World Cup. Australia kick off their campaign against Oman on June 6.
