Australia made significant changes to their T20I squad for the ongoing series in India, replacing six cricketers with four.
Australia will be without six members of the 15-strong squad originally announced for the five-match T20I series in India. According to a report in cricket.com.au, They have been replaced by four others, leaving them with a unit of 13.
Steve Smith and Adam Zampa have already left, after the second match, at Thiruvananthapuram, while Josh Phillippe and Ben McDermott have flown in.
Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis, and Sean Abbott will leave after the third T20I, at Guwahati. In lieu of them, Australia are sending out Ben Dwarshuis and Chris Green.
Green, the off-spin-bowling all-rounder, the newly appointed Sydney Thunder captain, is yet to play for Australia in any format, but has played 190 Twenty20 matches across several leagues. He was also part of the Kolkata Knight Riders squad in 2020, though he did not get a match. His numbers – 159 wickets at 27.40, economy 6.98; 1,168 runs, strike rate 130 – make impressive reading.
Fellow New South Welshman Dwarshuis bowls left-arm seam, and has 132 wickets at 24.02 from 110 matches. Despite being acquired by Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals at various points of time, he is yet to receive an IPL cap. In his only T20I for Australia, last year at Lahore, he conceded 42 in three wicketless overs.
Of the 15-member Australian squad that won the World Cup on November 19, only Travis Head is now in India.
India lead the series 2-0. The three remaining matches will be played at Guwahati (November 28), Raipur (December 1), and Bengaluru (December 3). The five T20Is will round off a year where the two teams have met in five Test matches and eight ODIs – and that is just the men’s teams.
Australia squad for remaining India T20Is:
Matthew Wade (c & wk), Josh Philippe (wk), Jason Behrendorff, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Chris Green, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Ben McDermott, Tanveer Sangha, Matt Short, Kane Richardson
