Australia have announced a full-strength 15-member T20I squad for the three-match series against New Zealand with star allrounder Mitchell Marsh set to lead as the countdown to the T20 World Cup begins.
ODI and Test skipper Pat Cummins, pace spearhead Mitchell Starc, Travis Head and Steven Smith have been added to the squad after they were rested for the forthcoming three-match T20I series against West Indies at home.
The inclusion of Starc and Cummins has come at the expense of Jason Behrendorff and bowling allrounder Sean Abbott. Behrendorff's exclusion is a surprising one as the left-arm speedster was recently declared Australia's Men's T20 Player of the Year at the Australian Cricket Awards Ceremony.
On the other hand, though the selectors have not confirmed whether Marsh will lead the side at the Men's T20 World Cup 2024, he is the frontrunner for the role and will most likely be seen marshalling the troops during the T20 carnival.
The chairman of the National Selection Panel, George Bailey, mentioned that the series against the Men in Maroon and the Blackcaps will give clarity as to what Australia's T20 World Cup squad would look like.
"The next six games will provide us the opportunity to start shaping what we think our World Cup squad will look like and potential roles within that," Bailey was quoted as saying by Cricket.com.au.
"We will also fully utilise the opportunity to monitor and watch the performances of the Australian players in the IPL immediately preceding the World Cup."
Meanwhile, the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 may turn out to be the swansong for a number of Aussie players including David Warner and Matthew Wade. While Warner has already retired from Tests and ODIs, Wade is also in the twilight of his career.
Australia's T20I squad for the New Zealand series:
Mitchell Marsh (c), Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
