Australia has backed left-arm spin and its injured veterans to be fit in time for next month’s Twenty20 World Cup – a tournament where Mitch Marsh’s side has missed the semi-finals in its past two editions.
Left-arm spinners Matt Kuhnemann (29) and Cooper Connolly (22) are the two most notable additions to a largely settled 15-man provisional squad named on Thursday for February’s event in Sri Lanka and India.
With the World Cup beginning in less than six weeks, seamer Josh Hazlewood (Achilles) and power-hitter Tim David (hamstring) have been named with hopes they will play a significant role as the tournament rolls on.
Test skipper Pat Cummins has also been included despite not playing an international T20 since the 2024 World Cup in the Caribbean, where Australia were knocked out by eventual semi-finalists Afghanistan.
Cummins is due for another back scan at the end of January after being rested from the last two Ashes Tests. Australia will be able to replace him from outside their squad if he is ruled out.
“Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Tim David are tracking well, and we are confident they will be available for the World Cup,” selection chair George Bailey said on Thursday.
Australia’s T20 World Cup squad
Mitch Marsh (captain), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Tim David, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Matt Short, Adam Zampa, Cooper Connolly, Matt Kuhnemann, Xavier Bartlett.
“The T20 side has enjoyed a long run of recent success, which enabled the panel to choose a balance of players across the variety of conditions Sri Lanka and India may present.
“This is a preliminary squad, so should changes need to be made, they will ahead of the support period.”
Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa and Ben Dwarshuis have been Australia’s leading T20 wicket-takers over the past year; however, Brisbane Heat bowler Xavier Bartlett has been preferred to Dwarshuis for the World Cup. Hazlewood was in imperious white-ball form against India before injuries cruelled his Test campaign before it began.
