(Reuters) – Matthew Wade has been appointed as the captain of Australia’s squad for their upcoming Twenty20 tour of India in November and December. This decision comes as Mitch Marsh is set to return home after the Cricket World Cup.
Marsh, who led the T20 side during the recent tour of South Africa, is just one of several senior players who will be absent from the tour. Others include test captain Pat Cummins, all-rounder Cameron Green, and fast bowlers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
These players will return to Australia after the World Cup to prepare for a three-test series against Pakistan, which is scheduled to begin in Perth on December 14. Additionally, Australia will play two tests against the West Indies later in the summer.
“It’s an experienced squad with a mixture of players who have had their first opportunity on the international stage and that we hope will continue to develop into important players in our T20 group,” said chair of selectors George Bailey.
“Matthew has captained the team previously, is a leader in the group and we look forward to him taking the reins for this series. It’s always a great challenge to take on India on their home soil. Most of the squad have extensive experience in playing in India, including eight members of the current ODI World Cup squad, alongside Tanveer Sangha who is currently a travelling reserve.”
Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, and Adam Zampa will remain in India after the World Cup. David Warner and Steve Smith have also been selected after missing the South African T20 series, which Australia won 3-0.
However, Ashton Agar will not be part of the squad due to injury. The five-match series will commence on November 23 in Visakhapatnam and will conclude in Hyderabad on December 3.
(Reporting by Michael Church, Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
