Melbourne: All-rounder Mitchell Marsh was formally announced full-time captain while veteran Steve Smith and young Jake Fraser McGurk were left out of the preliminary 15-member T20 World Cup squad announced by Australia Wednesday.
It is the first time in a decade that Smith, a former captain and one of Australia’s finest batters of the generation, has been excluded from a World Cup squad.
The 34-year-old had hoped to open in the marquee tournament but the selectors decided to go with Travis Head, David Warner and Marsh at the top. The lack of an IPL contract didn’t help Smith’s case either.
Moreover, Smith is not as prolific as some of the best T20 batters in the world though he is among the finest in the Test and ODI formats. He has scored 1094 runs from 67 T20I matches at an average of 24.86 and a strike rate of 125.45.
Uncapped 22-year-old Fraser-McGurk, who made a strong case for himself courtesy of his recent sensational run in the ongoing IPL where he has scored 247 runs in five matches for the Delhi Capitals at an astounding strike rate of 237.50, was also snubbed.
The selectors chose all-rounder Cameron Green and Josh Inglis instead. Green offers support for the injury-prone Marsh and Marcus Stoinis, while Inglis serves as the backup wicketkeeper.
“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.
“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,” selection chair George Bailey said.
After serving as the interim captain of the T20I squad for the past year, 32-year-old Marsh has officially been named full-time skipper in the shortest format.
“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.
“We have had some strong success in recent times and I am hopeful that will continue in what looks like a wide-open tournament,” said Marsh.
Left-arm spinner Ashton Agar has earned a recall despite last playing a T20I in October 2022 while Stoinis, Tim David and Green join Glenn Maxwell in the final squad as all-rounder options.
“It’s great to have Ashton Agar back into the squad following a spate of unfortunate and untimely injuries,” Bailey said.
“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,” he added.
Teams have until May 25 to change their squad, after which it requires ICC Event Technical Committee’s approval.
The 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.
PTI