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Opinion

The squad Australia should take to the T20 World Cup

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10th August, 2021
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Having been soundly beaten 4-1 by an impressive Bangladesh bowling unit, Australia’s attention now turns to the T20 World Cup.

Everyone loves selection debates, so this is the squad that I would take to the marquee tournament.

It’s worth noting that Australia will likely play a tri-series with Afghanistan and the West Indies in October. There are a couple of uncapped players in my squad, and this series can give them much-needed T20 international experience before the tournament proper. The series will likely clash with the resumption of the IPL, creating opportunities for fringe players to push into the XI.

Squad structure
While World Cup squads have previously been capped at 15 players, the ICC has increased this number in light of the travel challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Teams can bring up to 30 players and support staff, with players taking a maximum of 22 places in the enlarged squad.

The number I’ve landed on is 17. Twenty-two feels like an unnecessarily large number and limits the amount of support staff, whereas 17 allows for reserve players to cover all roles in the XI. For what it’s worth Australia’s squads for bilateral series typically include around 17 players.

Australia’s XI will likely include seven batsmen, including a wicketkeeper and all-rounders, and four bowlers. My squad will therefore include eight batsmen (including at least three bowling options), two wicketkeepers and seven frontline bowlers (four seamers and three spinners). At any time there will likely be three batting reserves and three bowling reserves, reflecting a well-balanced squad.

Mitchell Marsh of Australia bats

Mitchell Marsh (Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images)

Batsmen (including all-rounders)
Aaron Finch (captain), David Warner, Steve Smith (injury permitting), Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Dan Christian and Jordan Silk (injury cover for Smith)

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The preferred opening duo of Aaron Finch and David Warner reunite, with the pair being among the most successful batsmen for Australia in the T20 format. Australia remains optimistic that Finch will be fit for the World Cup.

Steve Smith, on the other hand, is in significant doubt, so I have named him in the squad but included Jordan Silk as a backup should Smith miss the tournament. Smith has been included to play the anchor role in the side, having compiled 514 runs at 39.53 (strike rate: 141.59) in the No. 3 position. Should Mitchell Marsh retain the No. 3 role, Smith could easily bat at No. 4, having compiled 418 runs at 34.83 (strike rate: 125.53) in that position in the IPL.

Silk is selected as Smith’s replacement on the back of a career-best BBL season in which he averaged 38 with the bat, scoring at an impressive strike rate of 144.69. While Silk’s lower order role differs from the role played by Smith, Australia have no shortage of players who can bat at Nos. 3 or 4.

Maxwell and Marsh walk into the side as all-rounders, with Marsh having been the shining light in Australia’s otherwise poor tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh. In ten T20 innings across the two tours Marsh hit four half-centuries and two scores of 45 in addition to claiming eight wickets.

While some would dispute the selection of Stoinis, he’s demonstrated considerable improvement in his lower-order role, which is arguably a result of experience gained in the IPL. Since his return to the side last year Stoinis has accumulated 240 runs at 40 (strike rate: 146.34) batting almost exclusively at Nos. 5 and 6. While red ink has undoubtedly boosted these numbers, it’s clear that Stoinis can now play the finisher role.

Marnus Labuschagne makes the squad on the back of a breathtaking T20 Blast in which the Test star smashed 390 runs at 55.71 (strike rate: 140.79) and picked up nine wickets at 21.44. Labuschagne will likely play the anchor role if Smith misses through injury.

Finally, Dan Cristian has been selected in the hope that he can provide experience and late-order hitting to the side. Christian showed signs of his best in the recent tours, smashing Shakib Al Hasan for five sixes in an over on his way to a 15-ball score of 39.

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He also made an unbeaten 22 (14 balls) in the fourth match of the Caribbean. This selection is admittedly speculative, as he otherwise didn’t deliver against the West Indies and Bangladesh, but that’s the reality of such a high-risk game style. If Australia want a brutal hitter in their side, they need to accept the element of risk involved.

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Wicketkeepers
Josh Inglis and Matthew Wade

Having two wicketkeepers in the squad is essential in light of the difficulties associated with flying in replacement players.

The uncapped Josh Inglis makes the squad courtesy of breakout seasons in the BBL and T20 Blast. Inglis batted primarily at No. 4 for the Perth Scorchers last summer, raising hopes that he can manage the middle-late overs better than many of Australia’s incumbents.

The West Australian averaged 34.41 in last summer’s BBL, scoring at an impressive strike rate of 140. In the T20 Blast he has taken his game to a new level, smashing two centuries in a 531-run season. Inglis has averaged 48.27 in the Blast at a blistering strike rate of 175.82.

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The young gloveman is highly regarded behind the stumps and therefore offers a well-rounded keeping option.

While the incumbent wicketkeepers in the Australian side have struggled for runs, Matthew Wade retains his place in the squad.

Wade’s record isn’t great, averaging 19.26 (strike rate: 123.81), but he’s done better than all of the other options. Indeed the Tasmanian captain’s record sits second to Adam Gilchrist for Australian T20 keepers. Wade’s three T20 international half-centuries are the only three half-centuries scored by Australian wicketkeepers in the history of the format.

While Inglis should be the starting wicketkeeper, Wade is the most deserving of the incumbents to claim the backup role.

Matthew Wade

Matthew Wade (Jason O’Brien/Cricket Australia/Getty Images)

Bowlers
Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Kane Richardson, Ashton Agar, Adam Zampa and Mitchell Swepson

Australia will likely play two seamers and two spinners in their starting XI, with the preferred attack to include Starc, Cummins, Agar and Zampa.

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At his best Starc is arguably Australia’s best T20 bowler, taking his wickets at an average of 21.82. While he can be erratic at times, the left-arm quick returned to form in the Caribbean after a disappointing start to the series.

In the third match Starc took 1-15 from his four overs before expertly securing victory with an excellent display of death bowling in Game 4. This form continued into the ODI series before he picked up wickets in both of his matches against Bangladesh.

Cummins has 37 T20 international wickets at 20.62 and has conceded fewer than seven runs per over in his career to date. Few would argue against him walking into the Australian squad in all three formats.

Agar and Zampa have formed an excellent spin duo for Australia in the last two years. Since the start of 2019 Agar has taken 32 wickets at 18.18 in T20 internationals, while Zampa has picked up 30 scalps at a serviceable average of 27.2. Mitchell Swepson makes the squad as a backup spinner, having taken 11 wickets from his seven T20 internationals to date.

The two reserve seamers included are Josh Hazlewood and Kane Richardson. Hazlewood has been unlucky not to play more T20 internationals over the years, but he has grasped his latest opportunity, picking up 12 wickets at 16.75 across the West Indies and Bangladesh tours.

Richardson claims the final spot, having been a mainstay and important member of Australia’s T20 XI prior to the West Indies series, which he opted out of for personal reasons. Since the start of 2019 he has the third most wickets for Australia in the T20 format, having taken 20 at a strong average of 20.3.

While the likes of Riley Meredith, Andrew Tye and Daniel Sams have been in and out of Australia’s side in the last year, Richardson has been a regular, and his success warrants a place in this squad.

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Likely XI
Below is the likely XI that I would select for the tournament. Naturally form in the tri-series and IPL may result in changes, while Smith’s inclusion is highly provisional.

While Smith and Marsh have been named at Nos. 3 and 4 respectively, the duo could realistically swap places.

  1. David Warner
  2. Aaron Finch (captain)
  3. Steve Smith (injury permitting)
  4. Mitchell Marsh
  5. Glenn Maxwell
  6. Marcus Stoinis
  7. Josh Inglis
  8. Ashton Agar
  9. Pat Cummins
  10. Mitchell Starc
  11. Adam Zampa

Reserves: Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Wade (specifically to cover Josh Inglis), Dan Christian, Mitchell Swepson, Kane Richardson, Josh Hazlewood and Jordan Silk (injury cover).

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