Australia announced their T20I squad for their upcoming series against Scotland and England, with Perth Scorchers all-rounder Cooper Connolly earning his maiden T20I call-up. The post-David Warner era has begun for Australia, and a new opening pair will take the field for their white-ball series against Scotland and England. The Baggy Greens will play a three-match T20I series against Scotland in September. Australia will also play three T20Is and five ODIs against England later in the month.

The three T20Is against Scotland will be played on September 4, 6, and 7, and the England T20I series will begin on September 11.

In Warner’s place, Jake Fraser-McGurk has been included in the T20I squads for both series and in the ODI squad against England. Fraser-McGurk will look to establish himself as a long-term opening alternative for Australia.

Connolly has featured in 15 domestic T20s. He starred for Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League 2022-23 final with his quick-fire 25* off 11 deliveries. In his Sheffield Shield debut, he scored 90 against Tasmania earlier this year.

Mitchell Marsh will lead the side in the absence of Pat Cummins, who has been rested. Cummins is currently involved in the ongoing Major League Cricket with the San Francisco Unicorns.

The experienced duo of Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell will also miss the T20I series but will link up with the squad for the ODI series against England.

Matthew Short, who travelled with Australia’s T20 World Cup squad as a reserve player, will miss out on the T20I tour due to the birth of his first child.

“This tour gives us a great opportunity to bring in some new players in the absence of David Warner and Matthew Wade, as well as giving some senior players time to prepare for the home summer and a busy first half of next year. We are particularly pleased to offer Cooper his first opportunity in the T20 squad, having introduced the likes of Jake, Spencer, Xavier and Aaron in the past 12 months. They are exciting prospects to join the likes of Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis and Josh Inglis in the white-ball set-up,” national selector George Bailey said in a statement by Cricket Australia.

With the ICC Champions Trophy almost seven months away, Australia will try to find the right balance within the ODI team.

“With the Champions Trophy on our doorstep early next year, the white-ball series against Pakistan leading into the summer and a huge home Test series against India, there has been a lot of planning invested into these next six months. That has included gradual integration of new players into our white-ball squads who have earned international opportunities via excellent form in Big Bash or state cricket,” he added.

Australia T20I squad for Scotland and England: Mitchell Marsh (capt), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Spencer Johnson, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Australia ODI squad for England: Mitchell Marsh (capt), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis (wk), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.

AFG vs AUS T20 World Cup 2024 LIVE Scorecard: Afghanistan need to win to stay alive in T20 World Cup.© AFP

Afghanistan will take on Australia in the 48th match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, 2024. The Super 8 fixture is set to be played at the Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown, St Vincent on 23rd June 2024 at 06:00 AM IST.

AFG vs AUS, Super Eight – Match 7 Preview

Australia comes into this match with momentum, having defeated Bangladesh by 28 runs in their previous outing. Pat Cummins was the standout performer for the Aussies, amassing 91 fantasy points.

On the other hand, Afghanistan faced a setback in their last game, losing to India by 47 runs. Rashid Khan was the top fantasy performer for Afghanistan, scoring 111 points.

AFG vs AUS, Head-to-Head

Historically, Australia has dominated Afghanistan in T20Is, winning the only match played between these two teams. The pattern suggests the Aussies will likely to continue their dominance. Australia’s batters have generally outperformed Afghanistan, while the Afghan bowlers have been their main contributors.

The last meeting between these teams was in Match 38 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, 2022, where Australia’s Glenn Maxwell and Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan scored the highest fantasy points.

Key Players to Watch

Fazalhaq Farooqi (AFG)

Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi, a left-arm medium-fast bowler, has been in stellar form, taking 15 wickets in his last five matches.

Marcus Stoinis (AUS)

Batting all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, known for his swashbuckling approach and right-arm medium-fast bowling, has scored 156 runs and has also taken seven wickets for Australia.

Rashid Khan (AFG)

Afghanistan skipper, Rashid Khan, who bowls right-arm leg-break has led his team’s bowling unit in the tournament and has also taken nine wickets in his last five matches.

Adam Zampa (AUS)

Adam Zampa, a star leg spinner from Australia, has been one of the highest wicket-takers in this tournament. Zampa’s slow leg-break bowling has yielded 11 wickets.

Travis Head (AUS)

Australia’s explosive top-order batter, Travis Head, has amassed 179 runs in the recent five matches at an average of 44.8.

Ibrahim Zadran (AFG)

Right-handed top-order batter, Ibrahim Zadran, smashed 160 runs in the recent five matches at an average of 32 for Afghanistan. Zadran’s form will be crucial for Afghanistan’s success in the Super 8 stage.

Jasprit Bumrah was the only Indian who made the cut in a 2024 T20 World Cup ‘Team of the Tournament’ made by England greats Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain. The team, which has been made on the premise of the group stage of the T20 World Cup, saw the likes of Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant and Arshdeep Singh be left out, despite stellar performances. The English duo – who are now reputed commentators – analysed and explained their choices on Sky Sports Cricket.

Virat Kohli – the all-time highest run-getter in T20 World Cup history – will be hoping to make the Team of the Tournament at a later stage, having scored just five runs so far.

“We had Bumrah, obviously. He had to be in,” quipped Nasser Hussain. Bumrah has picked up five wickets in India’s first three games, including two Player of the Match awards, against Ireland and arch-rivals Pakistan.

Atherton and Hussain showed a lot of love for some of the unsung heroes of the tournament. Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Scotland’s Brandon McMullen and USA’s Aaron Jones all made their XI.

After winning IPL 2024, Gurbaz has been exceptional, scoring 167 runs in four innings at a striker rate of more than 150. McMullen has scored at an even faster rate, boasting a strike rate of 170.

Australia’s Marcus Stoinis was the only all-rounder picked by Atherton and Hussain. Stoinis is the third top run-scorer of the 2024 T20 World Cup so far, at a phenomenal strike rate of 190. Incredibly, he has also picked six wickets in four games, with an economy of just 5.77.

The Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup gets underway on Wednesday, June 19, as hosts USA face South Africa in Group II.

Atherton and Hussain’s ‘Team of the Tournament So Far’:

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Travis Head, Brandon McMullen, Aaron Jones, Marcus Stoinis, David Miller, Alzarri Joseph, Akeal Hosein, Adam Zampa, Jasprit Bumrah, Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Australia’s leg-spinner Adam Zampa said he would like to prioritise playing international cricket as he doesn’t get the same level of buzz when featuring in various T20 franchise leagues around the world. Zampa was due to play for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2024, but pulled out of the competition due to fatigue reasons. After last playing international cricket in February, Zampa will be seen in action for Australia in the upcoming men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA from June 1.

“I’ve really come to love playing for Australia. I always loved it, but playing under Dan Vettori, Andrew McDonald and Pat and Mitch as captains, it is just so enjoyable. I make good money playing for Australia and I would love to prioritise playing for Australia and being with my family.”

“I don’t get enough out of franchise cricket. It’s great for certain aspects of your life, and it can be really enjoyable, but it’s not like being in the Aussie dressing room, not for me anyway. I don’t get the same buzz out of it,” said Zampa to ‘The Sydney Morning Herald’.

The leg-spinner revealed he had thoughts about being a globe-trotting T20 leagues player, but is now content with not being part of that bandwagon. “There’s always a lot of chat about ‘can you play franchise cricket all year round’ and it was something I had thought about – at what age do I get through to try to then play a bit of franchise cricket.”

“But after 2023 and winning the World Cup and all that, and having a young family now as well, I’ve realised I want to play cricket for as long as I can, and instead of trying to play for nine or 10 months of the year, it’s play for six or seven,” he added.

Australia will play its 2024 men’s T20 World Cup games in Trinidad and then Barbados where Zampa will reunite with left-arm spin all-rounder Ashton Agar, who was in the squad during the side’s triumphant campaign in the 2021 edition in the UAE (but played just one game). Agar also missed Australia’s 2023 men’s ODI World Cup title-winning run in India due to a calf injury.

“I feel like there’s a little bit of unfinished business. Ash missed out on the last World Cup, he didn’t play during the World Cup we won in Dubai, and I really think this is his World Cup to put his stamp on.”

“I think the wickets are going to suit him, and I think he can play a major role. We feed off each other, we make each other train better, we think about the game a lot more when we’re around each other. So it’s great to have him back,” added Zampa.

He signed off by saying leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha is a big future prospect for Australia. Sangha was in contention to be a travelling reserve for Australia until he suffered a hip flexor injury during a training camp in Brisbane.

“He’s had a lot of niggles and injuries in the last couple of years that he’s found it hard to get any continuous cricket in, but he’s years ahead of where I was at his age. Even now, I think ‘I wish I could do that’ and ‘I wish I had that part of his bowling’. He’s really smart and certainly going to have a long career for Australia.”

“I’m pretty glad that I’m 10 years older than him, not five because I feel like there’d be a time where I’d be in the classifieds (looking for a new job). I’m 32 now and the way things are going, hopefully I get a bit more time playing for Australia – but I won’t be 38 and trying to hold on because I know Tanveer is going to be pretty special,” concluded Zampa.

–IANS

nr/

Australia captain Mitchell Marsh© X (Twitter)