• Tim David was called up by Australia for this year’s Twenty20 World Cup.
• The 26-year-old was born in Singapore, but his parents are from Australia.
• This is the only change to the team that won the tournament last year.

Tim David, who was born in Singapore and is a great batter, was called up by Australia on Thursday for this year’s Twenty20 World Cup, which will be held in Australia. This is the only change to the team that won the tournament last year.

David’s shocking promotion comes at the expense of leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson. The 26-year-old got his chance after a string of performances in domestic cricket that made headlines.

The chairman of selectors, George Bailey, said of the big middle-order hitter from Western Australia that he continues to prove himself with good performances in leagues around the world. This has earned him a spot on the team.

“He is a highly gifted, natural ball striker who will add extra batting depth to the group which has had a lot of success in T20 cricket.

“We expect him to play a similar role to that he has been playing in the past few years.”

David, a right-hander, played 14 T20s for Singapore, but he can switch allegiance because his parents are from Australia.

After his success in the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash League in Australia, he became one of the most sought-after finishers in short-form cricket around the world.

Ricky Ponting, who used to be the captain of Australia, is a big fan.

“He’s the sort of player that could actually win you a World Cup,” Ponting said recently of David, who was signed by the Mumbai Indians at the 2022 IPL auction.

“I know there are some other great world-quality players in the middle order for Australia, but probably none of them boasts the resume as good as Tim’s over the last two years.”

Swepson was important at the last World Cup on the spinning wickets in the United Arab Emirates, helping Australia win their first title with an eight-wicket win over New Zealand in the final. However, David will be more useful for Australian batting conditions.

“We still really like Swepo’s skill set but it’s a different strategy,” explained skipper Aaron Finch on why he was axed.

“The UAE World Cup last year was on the back of the IPL being played there and it was end-of-season wickets, tired wickets, we were expecting that spin would play a big part.

“Here we are very happy with the three spinners we have in the squad — Zamps, Agar and Maxi cover us really well.”

Pat Cummins, who is the Test captain, is back in the 15-man squad after being rested for the ODI series against Zimbabwe and the one next week against New Zealand. Adam Zampa is also back in the running after the birth of his son.

“This is a similar squad to that which became the first Australian’s men’s team to win a T20 World Cup who are now very excited about playing the tournament at home,” added Bailey.

Midway through September, the World Cup team will go to India for a three-game Twenty20 series. Opener David Warner will be rested, so all-rounder Cameron Green will play in his place.

They then play the West Indies and England at home in the 20-over format. This helps them get ready to defend their title at the eighth World Cup, which will be held in seven different places in Australia.

The tournament starts on October 16, and Australia’s first game is on October 22 against New Zealand in Sydney.

Australia’s team includes captain Aaron Finch, Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, and Adam Zampa.

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