Famous people are left out of Australia's T20 World Cup roster.Famous people are left out of Australia's T20 World Cup roster.
In a shocking revelation of their roster for the four-week competition in the West Indies and the USA, the 2021 T20 World Cup champions left out veteran hitter Steve Smith, rising gun Jake Fraser-McGurk, seasoned seamer Jason Behrendorff, and all-rounder Matt Short.
Despite not having participated in a T20I since the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, left-arm spinner Ashton Agar receives a recall, and all-rounders Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, and Cameron Green join Glenn Maxwell in the final squad.
Australia confirmed Mitchell Marsh's promotion to full-time T20I alongside the roster announcement, and he will lead the team as captain.
"With the distinctive nature of the venues and our opponents, the panel believes that this experienced squad, with extensive World Cup experience, will factor in the West Indies and offer a variety of structures and scenarios," Bailey said.
Ashton Agar's return to the team is greatly appreciated after a string of regrettable and premature 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 roster due to the squad size of 15.
Bailey added, "We had lengthy conversations with Steve Smith, Matt Short, Jason Behrendorff, Aaron Hardie, Spencer Johnson, and Xavier Bartlett, among a number of others, including Jake Fraser-McGurk, who hasn't played T20 international cricket yet but is still impressing and growing quickly."
Limiting oneself to a roster of 15 for a World Cup presents a constant problem because there are so many various scenarios and possibilities we want to cover.
"We have the opportunity to alter this roster during the next month in compliance with ICC criteria. We will keep an eye on a few individuals who were left off of this preliminary squad.
"In the end, the final 15 players' balance must offer the best opportunity for success 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 stated.
"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 T20 World Cup match against Oman in Barbados, followed by matches against England, Namibia, and Scotland in Group B.
Australia Squads: 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