Australia named their final squad for the T20 World Cup 2024 ahead of the May 25 deadline, as they kept the same 15 players that had been initially picked but added Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matthew Short as travelling reserves. Mitchell Marsh will be leading Australia for the first time in an ICC (International Cricket Council) event. The Aussie captain has a well-rounded squad at his disposal and would want to lead them to their second title.
After Fraser-McGurk's scintillating performance in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 for the Delhi Capitals, many cricket enthusiasts wanted to see him on Australia's side for the marquee ICC tournament. However, the right-handed batter will have to be content with a spot in the reserves.
The 22-year-old played nine games in IPL 2024 and smashed 330 runs at an impressive average of 36.67 and an eye-catching strike rate of 234.04. Before the IPL, he shot to fame with a 29-ball century in a domestic One-Day Cup encounter. The youngster also produced fine performances in the Big Bash League (BBL) and the International League T20 (ILT20).
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"You look at Jake's form in the IPL – he took that by storm, and he was a serious consideration for the final 15," Australia head coach Andrew McDonald was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
Short, on the other hand, won the Player of the Tournament award in the BBL and got selected ahead of injured leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha.
"And so was Matthew Short. His BBL form has been outstanding over a long period of time, and he's shown glimpses at the international level as well, albeit at times he's had to play a different role. We know that he's best suited at the top of the order – and it's probably similar for Jake as well – hence why they haven't been picked in the initial 15. But should anything move, we feel as though both of them could have the flexibility to line up anywhere in that batting order," McDonald added on the squad.
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Australia's T20 World Cup 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.
Travelling reserves: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matthew Short
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