Australia announce 15-player squad for T20I series against India; Matthew Wade to captain

Melbourne [Australia], October 28 (ANI): Wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade will lead the Australian team against India in the five-match T20I series after the conclusion of the ongoing ICC World Cup.

Cricket Australia (CA) on Saturday announced a 15-player squad for the series.

The five-match T20I series will start on November 23 in Visakhapatnam, with Wade leading an Australian team that includes seasoned players like David Warner, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, and Adam Zampa.

The T20I series against Men in Blue will take place on November 23, 26, 28 and December 1 and 3.

A statement from Cricket Australia said that the regular skipper Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and all-rounders Marsh and Cameron Green will depart home at the conclusion of the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup event, fellow Test stars David Warner, Steve Smith, and Travis Head will remain in India for the T20s.

After the World Cup, Cummins will come home to prepare for Australia’s home Test summer against Pakistan and the West Indies. Tim David, Sean Abbott, Josh Inglis, Jason Behrendorff, and Nathan Ellis have all been selected, along with fellow seasoned players Adam Zampa, Glenn Maxwell, and Marcus Stoinis.

Since Aaron Finch’s retirement in February, Australia has been without a permanent T20 skipper and does not appear to be in any hurry to designate one.

Chair of the selection committee George Bailey is delighted with the balance of experience and youth in the squad selected to face India and believes they will be well-equipped over the course of the five matches.

“Matthew has captained the team previously, is a leader in the group and we look forward to him taking the reins for this series. Like Mitch Marsh in the South Africa series, this is another great opportunity to further deepen our international leadership experience and depth,” said selection chief George Bailey as quoted by cricket.com.au.

“It’s an experienced squad with a mixture of players who have had their first opportunity on the international stage and that we hope will continue to develop into important players in our T20 group,” Bailey said.

“It’s always a great challenge to take on India on their home soil. Most of the squad have extensive experience in playing in India, including eight members of the current ODI World Cup squad, alongside Tanveer Sangha who is currently a travelling reserve,” he added.

Australia T20 squad: Matthew Wade (c), Jason Behrendorff, Sean Abbott, Tim David, Nathan Ellis Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner and Adam Zampa.