Smith, McGurk miss out as Australia unveils Marsh-led T20 WC squad

MELBOURNE: All-rounder Mitchell Marsh was formally announced full-time captain while veteran Steve Smith and young Jake Fraser MCGurk were left out of the preliminary 15-member T20 World Cup squad announced by Australia on Wednesday.

It is the first time in a decade that Smith, a former captain and one of Australia’s finest batters of the generation, has been excluded from a World Cup squad.

The 34-year-old had hoped to open in the marquee tournament but the selectors decided to go with Travis Head, David Warner and Marsh at the top. The lack of an IPL contract didn’t help Smith’s case either.

Moreover, Smith is not as prolific as some of the best T20 batters in the world though he is among the finest in the Test and ODI formats. He has scored 1094 runs from 67 T20I matches at an average of 24.86 and a strike rate of 125.45.

Uncapped 22-year-old FraserMcGurk, who made a strong case for himself courtesy his recent sensational run in the ongoing IPL where he has scored 247 runs in five matches for the Delhi Capitals at an astounding strike rate of 237.50, was also snubbed.

The selectors chose all-rounder Cameron Green and Josh Inglis instead. Green offers support for the injury-prone Marsh and Marcus Stoinis, while Inglis serves as the back-up wicketkeeper.

After serving as the interim captain of the T20I squad for the past year, 32-year-old Marsh has officially been named full-time skipper in the shortest format.

The Squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

Eight IPL players named in Afghan squad

Eight players featuring in the ongoing Indian Premier League have been named in the 15-member Afghanistan T20 World Cup squad to be led by star all-rounder Rashid Khan.

Hashmatullah Shahidi, who captained Afghanistan at the 2023 ODI World Cup, has been left out of the squad named by the Afghanistan Cricket Board.

Left-handed opener Hazratullah Zazai, Sediqullah Atal and Mohammad Saleem Safi have been named as travelling reserves.

Rashid, Azmatullah Omarzai, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen Ul Haq, Mohammad Nabi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Gulbadin Naib are the Afghan players currently playing in the IPL.

The squad has only four batters in wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran and back-up keeper Mohammad Ishaq.

The squad: Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveenul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik

RESERVES: Sediqullah Atal, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Saleem Safi