Fraser-McGurk and Smith omitted from Australia T20 squad, Marsh named captain

Australia's brightest young T20 batting talent, Jake Fraser-McGurk, and one of the best three-format batsmen of the generation, Steven Smith, have both been left out of Australia's preliminary 15-man T20 World Cup squad, with selectors opting for a second specialist spinner in Ashton Agar and a reserve all-rounder in Cameron Green to give them more flexibility throughout the tournament.

As expected, Mitchell Marsh will captain the side after Cricket Australia confirmed his position as permanent T20 captain on Wednesday morning. Marsh has led Australia in three T20I series as interim skipper over the past 12 months.

Nathan Ellis has also been named as the fourth fast bowling option behind Australia's big three of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc, while Josh Inglis has also been named as the reserve wicketkeeper and utility batsman behind first-choice keeper Matthew Wade.

Fraser-McGurk's omission will raise eyebrows in Australia after his stunning IPL performances, where he has smashed three half-centuries in six innings at a ridiculous strike-rate of 233.33, despite having yet to play a T20I and only two ODIs.

Smith's omission is less of a shock, even though it is the first time in a decade that he has been left out of a World Cup squad in any format. But Smith had long been on the outside of Australia's first-choice T20I side, having run the drinks for much of the 2022 World Cup. He was given the chance to open in two T20Is against India last November and two more against New Zealand in February but failed to make a case to unseat Australia's established top three.

The selectors opted to stick with their experienced trio of Travis Head, David Warner, and Marsh, who dominated at last year's ODI World Cup. The middle-order is also long settled, with Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, and Wade all likely to be in the first-choice XI.

Green and Inglis were preferred to Fraser-McGurk and Smith in the final 15 because of their ability to play multiple roles. Green provides cover for the injury-prone Marsh and Stoinis, while Inglis is the back-up wicketkeeper but has batted at almost any position in the order with some success.

Matthew Short was also unlucky to miss out after two outstanding BBL seasons and some excellent performances in his brief T20I appearances over the past 12 months.

Chairman of selectors George Bailey explained why Agar and Green were selected ahead of the other candidates in the 15-man squad:

"We believe Ashton can play a critical role in this tournament along with Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Cam Green, and Mitch Marsh in complementing our front-line attack options."

Australia T20 World Cup 2024 squad
Mitchell Marsh, 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