The World Cup’s over, but the cricket rolls on.
Australia’s five-match T20 series against India gets underway in the early hours of Friday morning, four days after the World Cup final in Ahmedabad.
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Several of Australia’s World Cup heroes have been rested for the bilateral series, including captain Pat Cummins, bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, along with all-rounders Mitchell Marsh and Cameron Green. Meanwhile, opener David Warner withdrew from the T20 leg of the tour at the eleventh hour.
Despite not boasting a full-strength side, Australia’s multi-format stars have been replaced by an assortment of future prospects pushing their case for T20 World Cup selection.
That’s right, another World Cup — and it’s less than eight months away.
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“We’ve got a few guys that are crossing over from the World Cup, but we’ve also got a lot of fresh faces that are excited to be in India and play cricket for the first time in this country,” Australian captain Matthew Wade told reporters on Wednesday.
“The T20 World Cup is not that far away. I think we’ve got ten or 11 games before that all kicks off.
“Trying to cement a spot in that squad is front to mind.”
Nathan Ellis, who has been impeccable in the T20 format over the last 24 months, headlines a talented pace attack alongside Western Australia’s Jason Behrendorff, World Cup champion Sean Abbott and white-ball specialist Kane Richardson.
Tanveer Sangha, Australia’s travelling reserve from the World Cup, will accompany fellow leg-spinner Adam Zampa, while Matthew Short gets another opportunity to shine at international level. The Victorian was named Player of the Big Bash League last summer, earning contracts in this year’s Indian Premier League and The Hundred competition.
West Australian all-rounder Aaron Hardie, added to the squad earlier this week, will slot into the middle order alongside Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis, while India will be wary of T20 globetrotter Tim David.
Australian superstar Steve Smith, dropped from the T20 side last year, will finally get an opportunity to audition for the T20 opener vacancy. The New South Welshman emerged as a candidate to replace former national captain Aaron Finch at the top of the order after blasting back-to-back hundreds for the Sydney Sixers in last summer’s Big Bash.
World Cup final hero Travis Head rounds out the squad, but the South Australian isn’t expected to feature in Thursday’s series opener.
“We’ll have a chat with Heady today and see how he’s feeling,” Wade continued.
“There won’t be any pressure from us for him to play the first one, but he’ll definitely feature throughout the series.
“We’ll check in with the guys who played the World Cup and make sure they’re mentally and physically ready to go.”
However, if Head continues his impressive form in the T20 leg of the tour, it would do his chances of pocketing a hefty sum in next month’s Indian Premier League Draft no harm.
The left-hander isn’t the only Australian eyeing IPL riches over the next fortnight — anyone in the squad who catches the attention of Indian T20 franchises could find themselves at the centre of a bidding war.
They don’t need to look far for inspiration — after Green smacked back-to-back fifties during last year’s T20 series against India, he was snapped up by the Mumbai Indians for a whopping $3.15 million sum.
The first T20 between India and Australia gets underway at Vishakhapatnam’s Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Stadium on Friday morning, with the first ball scheduled for 12.30am AEDT.
Australia T20 squad
Matthew Wade (c), Aaron Hardie, Jason Behrendorff, Sean Abbott, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa
India T20 squad
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, Shreyas Iyer (last two matches only).
India vs Australia T20 Fixtures
November 24 at 12.30am — First T20, Vishakhapatnam
November 27 at 12.30am — Second T20, Thiruvananthapuram
November 29 at 12.30am — Third T20, Guwahati
December 2 at 12.30am — Fourth T20, Raipur
December 4 at 12.30am — Fifth T20, Bengaluru
All times AEDT
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