Australia Makes Waves in T20I Squad: Six Players Benched as Big Shifts Unfold During India Series Midway
In a bold move by Cricket Australia, star players Steve Smith and Adam Zampa have been sent home from India ahead of the pivotal 3rd T20I in Guwahati.
November 28, 2023
1.8 minutes
Australia Makes Waves in T20I Squad: Six Players Benched as Big Shifts Unfold During India Series Midway
In a bold move by Cricket Australia, star players Steve Smith and Adam Zampa have been sent home from India ahead of the pivotal 3rd T20I in Guwahati.
In a bold move by Cricket Australia, star players Steve Smith and Adam Zampa have been sent home from India ahead of the pivotal 3rd T20I in Guwahati. With three matches remaining in the series, the decision to recall these key players reflects a strategic shake-up in the squad. Additionally, four more players, namely Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis, and Sean Abbott, are set to depart on Wednesday as part of a comprehensive workload management plan.
The team’s restructuring includes the introduction of replacements for the series. Wicketkeeper-batsman Josh Philippe and power-hitter Ben McDermott are set to join the squad before the 3rd T20I in Guwahati. Moreover, Ben Dwarshuis and spinner Chris Green from New South Wales are scheduled to link up with the team in Raipur ahead of the fourth match.
The revised Australia squad for the 3rd T20I includes players such as Matthew Wade (c), Jason Behrendorff, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Chris Green, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Ben McDermott, Josh Philippe, Tanveer Sangha, Matt Short, and Kane Richardson.
Reflecting on the changes, Australia’s stand-in head coach Andre Borovec shared:
“One of the things we had in our planning coming into this series was to have a look at Steve (Smith) up top, and we’ve had a chance to do that now. We’re extremely happy with the intent that he’s shown with the bat; (I) couldn’t fault it actually.”
Looking ahead, Australia is gearing up for a series of 10 T20 internationals leading up to next year’s T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean.
Squads
Australia T20 squad: Matthew Wade (c), Aaron Hardie, Jason Behrendorff, Sean Abbott (withdrawn), Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Chris Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (withdrawn), Glenn Maxwell (withdrawn), Ben McDermott, Josh Philippe, Tanveer Sangha, Matt Short, Steve Smith (withdrawn), Marcus Stoinis (withdrawn), Kane Richardson, and Adam Zampa (withdrawn).
India T20 squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad (vc), Ishan Kishan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dubey, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, and Shreyas Iyer (last two matches only).
