The Australian cricket team has announced their squad for the upcoming T20I series against India, with Western Australia allrounder Aaron Hardie being called up to replace David Warner. Hardie made his debut in South Africa earlier this year and is expected to bring a fresh perspective to the side.
Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc have also been given a break from the squad, with Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh also heading home. Warner had an outstanding performance in the ODI World Cup, scoring 535 runs at 48.63, but has decided to retire from Test cricket after the upcoming Pakistan series.
The five-match Test series against Pakistan will be the final stage of Warner’s Test career, with him earmarking January 3rd at the SCG for his retirement. The T20I series will act as part of the build-up to next year’s T20 tournament in West Indies and the USA.
Kane Richardson has been called up as a replacement for Spencer Johnson, who suffered a hamstring injury during training. Despite starting just four days after the ODI World Cup final, the T20I series is an important part of Australia’s preparation for next year’s tournament.
The squad now includes seven players who featured during the World Cup plus Tanveer Sangha, who was a travelling reserve throughout. Matthew Wade will lead the side as captain, although Mitchell Marsh is expected to take on more responsibility in that role moving forward. There will also be a stand-in coach for the series with Andre Borovec taking charge as Andrew McDonald returns home ahead of summer.
The T20I series gets underway in Visakhapatnam on Thursday with Australia facing off against India. The squad includes: Matthew Wade (capt), Travis Head, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Jason Behrendorff, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis