West Indies will tour Australia for a series of two T20 internationals and as many tests. The T20 series will begin on 5th October 2022. Cricket Australia (CA) announced a 16-member squad for the T20 series on Wednesday, 28th September. A few big names that missed out on the India tour are all set to return for this series.
Australia last featured in the recently concluded 3-match T20 series against India. The Aussies thrashed India in the first game but perished under pressure in the last two games. They lost the series 1-2. Australia missed a quarter of their regular members due to injuries.
Key Australian biggies return to the squad
Big Australian names that were missing from the India series are all set to return for the West Indies series. David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, and Mitchell Starc are making a much-needed comeback.
The explosive opener, David Warner, was rested for the Indian tour to manage his workload. The selection committee wants their key players to be well rested before the T20 World Cup begins. Mitchell Marsh suffered an ankle injury, whereas Marcus Stoinis was ruled out owing to a side strain. Veteran pacer, Mitchell Starc was recovering from a knee injury during the bilateral series against India.
Cameron Green, who had a good outing against India, retains his spot in the team. In the absence of Warner, Green opened the innings along with Aaron Finch and grabbed the opportunity with both hands. The pace-spin duo of Kane Richardson and Ashton Agar have been rested to keep them fresh for the World Cup.
All injured and rested players will return for the two games. They will get much-needed action to prepare for the World Cup next month. Australia will start its campaign as defending champions. They defeated New Zealand in the finals and won the T20 World Cup 2021 held in UAE.
“We are taking a cautious approach,” says Australian national selector
Australian national selector, George Bailey, said that they have adopted a cautious approach, keeping the World Cup in mind. He further added that having these key players back will boost their confidence as a team and any minor issues will get resolved within the timeframe.
“We have and are taking a cautious approach with the World Cup on the near horizon. To have four key players return gives us the ability to take a conservative path with any minor issues and resolve those well in time for the World Cup. As such we anticipate Kane and Ashton will return for the following series against England”
Australia’s final 16-member squad against West Indies
Aaron Finch (captain), Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Daniel Sams, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade(wicket-keeper), David Warner, Adam Zampa
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