Australia’s star paceman Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the Twenty20 World Cup, while batsman Matthew Renshaw has been added to the squad, replacing Matt Short. Ben Dwarshuis also joins as Cummins’s replacement, reports AFP.
Cummins, who only played one of the five Ashes Tests against England during the Australian summer due to a lower-back injury, had hoped to be fit for the tournament in India and Sri Lanka starting February 7. “With Pat needing more time to recover from his back injury, Ben is a ready replacement who offers left-arm pace, dynamic fielding, and late-order hitting,” selector Tony Dodemaide said. He added that Dwarshuis’s ability to swing the ball at pace with clever variations suits the squad’s structure and expected conditions.
The other change sees Renshaw replace Short, who struggled in the Big Bash League. “Matt has impressed in all formats recently, including multiple roles in white-ball cricket for Australia, Queensland Bulls, and Brisbane Heat,” Dodemaide said. He added that Renshaw provides extra middle-order support in spin-friendly conditions, while Tim David completes his return-to-play program from a hamstring injury.
Australia’s squad has a spin-heavy focus to suit sub-continental pitches, with Adam Zampa leading the spin attack, complemented by left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann and part-timers Cooper Connolly and Glenn Maxwell.
The group-stage matches will be played entirely in Sri Lanka, with Australia opening against Ireland in Colombo on February 11.
Australia T20 World Cup squad: Mitchell Marsh (capt), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
