Dwarshuis has performed strongly with the ball at franchise level and adds hitting power to the lower order, but he is inexperienced at international level with only 19 appearances for Australia in the two white-ball formats.
“With Pat needing more time to recover from his back injury Ben is a ready replacement who offers a left arm pace option as well as dynamic fielding and late order hitting,” selector Tony Dodemaide said.
“We believe his ability to swing the ball at good pace along with clever variations will be well suited to the conditions we expect and overall structure of the squad.”
Selectors did not hand Smith an 11th hour recall despite his stunning success at the top of the order for the Sixers after the Ashes.
Smith’s hitting power propelled the Sixers to the BBL final, but Australia are well stocked at the top of the order with captain Mitch Marsh and Travis Head occupying the two opening berths.
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Not even Short’s axing could clear an immediate passage back into the squad for Smith, who quit the 50-over format to give him more time to play in T20 leagues around the world in his quest for a spot at the 2028 Olympics.
“Steve is an exceptional player who has worked very hard on his short form game and was rewarded with a great stint in the Big Bash batting at the top for the Sixers,” Dodemaide said.
“The current T20 top order has been very successful building into this tournament so we feel we’re well-placed in that area.
“If a replacement is required Steve is very much in contention and this has been communicated with him.”
Short was below his best in the BBL, averaging 28 with a strike rate of 132.7, which left his spot vulnerable. Renshaw’s versatility and hot form for Brisbane Heat, which earned him selection in the team of the tournament, won him the nod.
“Matt [Renshaw] has impressed in all formats of late, including in multiple roles in white-ball formats for Australia, the Queensland Bulls and the Brisbane Heat,” Dodemaide said.
“With the top order settled and spin heavy conditions expected in the pool stages in Sri Lanka, we also feel Matt provides extra middle order support, with Tim David completing his return to play program in the early phase of the tournament.
“As a left-hander, he [Renshaw] also offers a point of difference to the middle-order batting.”
Australia T20 World Cup squad: Mitch Marsh (c), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Tim David, Matthew Renshaw, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa, Cooper Connolly, Matt Kuhnemann, Xavier Bartlett.
