T20 World Cup 2024: Mitchell Marsh to lead Australia, Steve Smith misses out - full squad

Mitchell Marsh will lead Australia’s 15-member squad for the men’s T20 World Cup 2024, set to be held in the West Indies and USA in June, Cricket Australia announced on Wednesday.

Marsh led the Australian men’s cricket team in T20s last year but has been formally appointed as the skipper, the selection committee led by George Bailey informed while naming the squad for the T20 World Cup.

Australia, looking for their second T20 World Cup title, will be without star batter Steve Smith, who has been left out for the first time in a decade.

The 34-year-old played only one game in Australia’s 2022 T20 World Cup campaign on home soil and struggled for form in Australia’s T20 series against India and New Zealand held after the ODI World Cup. The 22-year-old James Fraser-McGurk, known for big six-hitting abilities, also failed to make it to the final squad.

Ashton Agar and Cameron Green were named in Australia’s 15-member squad despite not featuring in international cricket for nearly 18 months.

Nathan Ellis has been included as the fourth fast bowling option behind Australia’s trusted big three Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc. Josh Inglis and Matthew Wade were the two wicket-keepers named in the squad.

Australia will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against Oman at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on June 6. They will also face England, Namibia and Scotland in Group B.

Australia T20 World Cup 2024 squad

Australian cricket team: Mitchell Marsh (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wk), David Warner, Adam Zampa