Smith axed as Australia name T20 World Cup squad led by Marsh

Steve Smith. Pic/AFP

Veteran batter Steve Smith, young batting sensation Jake Fraser-McGurk, experienced seamer Jason Behrendorff and all-rounder Matt Short all missed out as 2021 T20 World Cup champions named their squad for the marquee short-format tournament in the West Indies and the USA from June 1 onwards.

Left-arm spinner Ashton Agar won a recall despite not having played a T20I since the last T20 World Cup on Australian soil in 2022, while all-rounders Marcus Stoinis and Cameron Green also earned a place in the final squad despite some indifferent form in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), as per the ICC.

All-rounder Mitchell Marsh will captain the side.

Selection chair George Bailey said he believed Australia has a well-balanced squad and is confident of a strong showing in the T20 World Cup 2024.

"This is an experienced squad with extensive World Cup experience that offers a variety of structures and covers the scenarios the panel believes will factor in the West Indies with the unique nature of the venues and our opponents," Bailey said, as quoted by the ICC.

"It is great to have Ashton Agar back in the squad following a spate of unfortunate and untimely injuries. We believe Ashton can play a critical role in this tournament along with Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Cam Green and Mitch Marsh in complementing our front-line attack options. The batting options available allow a tailored approach to each venue and opponent," he added.

Also Read: 'Made the selection to please a few people': Srikkanth

Bailey noted that the squad size of 15 left many in-form players unlucky to miss selection.

"Steve Smith, Matt Short, Jason Behrendorff, Aaron Hardie, Spencer Johnson and Xavier Bartlett were all part of long conversations, along with several others, including Jake Fraser-McGurk, who is yet to play T20 international cricket but continues to impress and is developing rapidly," Bailey said.

""Being constrained to a squad of 15 for World Cups is always a challenge given the different scenarios and options we would like to cover. We will continue monitoring several players who have missed out on this preliminary squad and note that if we need to change this squad, we have the option to do so over the coming month in accordance with ICC regulations."

"Ultimately the balance of the final 15 needs to provide the best chance of being successful in this campaign," he concluded.

Australia open their T20 World Cup campaign against Oman in Barbados on June 5, before Group B fixtures against England, Namibia and Scotland.

Australia squad for T20 World Cup 2024: Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, and Adam Zampa.

(With agency inputs)