Cricket Australia has named the squad for the five-game T20I series against India, set to begin in less than a week after the 2023 World Cup. Veteran keeper-batter Matthew Wade will captain Australia, while World Cup squad members including Steve Smith and David Warner will stay for the series. However, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Marsh, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood will return home after the 50-over World Cup.
Wade's appointment signals that Australia are yet to name a permanent T20I captain, with Mitchell Marsh leading them in South Africa before the World Cup. Hence, the Tasmanian is also on an interim basis currently. He last played T20I cricket during the World Cup at home last year, but was called in as cover for the T20Is during the Proteas tour.
Chief Selector George Bailey expressed confidence in Wade's abilities and said, as quoted by cricket.com.au:
"Matthew has captained the team previously, is a leader in the group and we look forward to him taking the reins for this series."
The likes of Matthew Short, Tanveer Sangha, and Spencer Johnson have earned selection for the series. However, Aaron Hardie has missed out, while Ashton Agar failed to make the cut due to his calf injury.
The opening T20I takes place on November 23rd in Vishakhapatnam. Thiruvananthapuram (November 26th), Guwahati (November 28th), Nagpur (December 1st), and Hyderabad (December 3rd) will host the remaining four matches.
Australia's squad for the five-match T20I series:
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, Adam Zampa.
