Australia Announces 15-man Squad for the 2021 T20 World Cup

Australia have named a strong 15-man squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE, with all the first-choice players who missed the recent tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh having returned to the side. Aaron Finch, who is currently recovering from a knee surgery, will captain the side and Pat Cummins will be the vice captain of the team at the mega tournament. 

David Warner, Steve Smith (returning from an elbow injury), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins and Kane Richardson are the other big names set to be back in action. Among the prominent names missing out on a spot are pacers Jhye Richardson and Andrew Tye. Alex Carey, Moises Henriques, Josh Philippe and Ashton Turner were also left out of the team. Wicketkeeper Josh Inglis has earned a surprise call-up and is the only uncapped player in the squad.

Inglis has been in great form, scoring 531 runs at an average of 48.27 and a strike rate of 175.82 in the Vitality T20 Blast, including 2 centuries. He has been a consistent scorer for Perth in the last few seasons, playing at the top as well as in the middle order. Last night, he also struck his best score in the Hundred for London, scoring 72 off just 45 balls.

"Josh has been on our radar for some time with his performances in white-ball cricket and more recently in the Vitality T20 Blast," chairman of selectors George Bailey said. "He offers the squad flexibility in the batting order with his adaptability, counter-attacking ability and power-striking. He is a player we are excited about for the future."

The return of the big names is a major boost for Australia as they chase their first Men's T20 World Cup trophy. The team has lost each of their past five T20 series, losing the last two by a scoreline of 1-4. The conditions will be similar to what the players faced in the West Indies and Bangladesh. However, the return of Warner and others makes them field a full-strength XI and hopefully sets them on the right course. 

With pitches in the UAE expected to be slow and offer turn, the squad has three specialist spinners in Adam Zampa, Ashton Agar and Mitchell Swepson. The pace department consists of three frontline seamers, including Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Kane Richardson. The all-round options include Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis.

All-rounders Dan Christian and Daniel Sams and death-overs specialist Nathan Ellis have been named as traveling reserves.

Australia Squad

• Aaron Finch (C), Pat Cummins (VC), David Warner, Steve Smith, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis (WK), Matthew Wade (WK), Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson, Mitchell Swepson, Adam Zampa, Ashton Agar

• Traveling Reserves: Dan Christian, Daniel Sams, Nathan Ellis

11 of the 18 players have Indian T20 League deals and are expected to head back to the UAE for the second leg of the tournament. The players who remain in Australia will train in their state set-ups. The team is expected to have two warm-up matches ahead of their opening World Cup game against South Africa on 23rd October

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