- Australia will play warm-up matches against Namibia and West Indies.
- Key players will miss the warm-ups due to IPL playoffs.
- Mitchell Marsh will captain the team for the T20 World Cup.
Pat Cummins and Travis Head (both from Sunrisers Hyderabad), Mitchell Starc (from Kolkata Knight Riders), and Cameron Green and Glenn Maxwell (both from Royal Challengers Bengaluru) are set to join the squad in Barbados before Australia’s inaugural World Cup match against Oman on June 5.
A minimum of one and up to four of these players will participate in the IPL final in Chennai on May 26.
Australia’s coach, Andrew McDonald, told cricket.com.au, “They’ll have a staggered entry now that they’ve made the finals – they’ll meet us in Barbados, and the guys who aren’t in the IPL finals, will meet us in Trinidad.”
“We’re just trying to tailor the best individual preparation and bring it together as a team when we get to Barbados, then we have four or five days there leading into the first game against Oman.”
McDonald also mentioned that Marsh is unlikely to bowl in the practice matches due to a hamstring injury.
On Tuesday, Australia confirmed their squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. There were no changes to the preliminary list, but Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short were added as reserves.
Notable players like Steve Smith, Jason Behrendorff, and Tanveer Sangha did not make the cut for the event in the West Indies and the USA, which starts on June 1.
Mitchell Marsh has been named as the team captain for the mega event.
George Bailey, the Australian chief selector, stated that Fraser-McGurk and Short presented “compelling cases” for selection.
“As the tournament proceeds, the short turnaround between fixtures makes it challenging to get players in at short notice in the event of injury," Bailey said.
"Matt provides the squad with an all-round skillset option, while Jake provides further batting cover.
“Both players have exciting talents that can add to the squad if needed. If not, the experience will still be valuable in their respective development journeys at international level.”
Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign will kick off with a match against Oman in Barbados on June 5, followed by Group B matches against England, Namibia, and Scotland.
[embedpost slug = "/imad-wasim-promises-different-pakistan-in-t20-world-cup-2024/"]
