Cricket News

Australia announce 20-20 World Cup squad , Tim David receives maiden call up

The defending champions Australia have announced a 15-man squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup which is to be held in Australia. The squad is very much similar to the one which played in the last year’s T20 World Cup. The only change has been the inclusion of Tim David in place of Mitchell Swepson.

David’s stock has risen exponentially in the last two years. He has been playing T20 cricket all over the globe and has established himself as one of the best finishers in the shortest format. The 26-year-old has a unique ability to play shots all across the ground and is renowned for hitting big sixes.

The all-rounder has already made his international debut for Singapore. He has featured in 14 T20Is and has scored 558 runs at an average of 46.50 and a strike rate of 158.52.

The squad has got no place for Cameron Green, who has been performing decently as an all-rounder in the limited overs circuit. Also, Alex Carey has not been considered for the backup wicket-keeper slot as the selectors have backed Josh Inglis for the role.

While the squad was announced on Thursday, the Chairman of selectors George Bailey stated the reasons for the exclusion of leg-spinner Swepson and also showed his excitement about the inclusion of David in the Aaron Finch-led side.

“This is a similar squad to that which became the first Australian’s men’s team to win a T20 World Cup, who are now very excited about playing the tournament at home,” Bailey said in a statement.

“Mitchell Swepson was unlucky to miss out based on conditions in the UAE at the last World Cup where we planned for tired, spinning wickets compared to what we would expect are good batting conditions along with the larger grounds in Australia.”

“Tim (David) continues to establish himself with some quality performances in leagues around the world, earning a place in the squad. He is a highly gifted, natural ball striker who will add extra batting depth to the group which has had a lot of success in T20 cricket in recent times. We expect him to play a similar role to that he has been playing in the past few years,” the former Australian skipper further added.

Australia’s squad for T20 World Cup 2022 is as follows:

Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.

The World Cup qualifiers will begin on October 16 this year with the league stage slated to commence on October 23.