Melboune, Aug 19 (UNI) Australia on Thursday named a star-studded 15-man squad for upcoming 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, to be played in Oman and UAE, with captain Aaron Finch and Steve Smith among a host of big names returning to action.
Both Finch (knee) and Smith (elbow) have been backed to return from injury for the tournament.
The likes of David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins and Kane Richardson are also set to be back in action after sitting out the team's tours of the Caribbean and Bangladesh in July-August.
The return of the seven stars is a major boon for Australia as they chase their first Men's T20 World Cup trophy.
Among the 15-member squad, the most surprising name is Josh Inglis. Uncapped to this stage at the international level, Inglis is a wicketkeeper-batter adept at playing both as an opener and in the middle order.
In serious form for the past 12 months across all three formats domestically, Inglis has leapfrogged both Alex Carey and Josh Philippe to the role of reserve keeper after both men featured in Austalia's tour of the Caribbean and Bangladesh.
'Josh has been on our radar for some time with his performances in white ball cricket and more recently in the Vitality Blast where he topped the run charts,' said George Bailey, chair of selectors.
'He offers the squad flexibility in the batting order with his adaptability, counterattacking ability and power striking. He is a player we are excited about for the future,' he added.
Alongside Warner, Finch, Smith, Maxwell and Stoinis, Australia's batting will be bolstered by Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade and Inglis.
Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Kane Richardson alongside spinners Adam Zampa, Ashton Agar and Mitchell Swepson make Australian bowling attack look scintillating on paper.
All-rounders Dan Christian and Daniel Sams, and fast bowler Nathan Ellis have been named as travelling reserves.
'We are confident this squad has the ability to take the side deep into what will be an extremely competitive tournament," Bailey said.
'We have some of the best players in the world in their respective roles combined with the collective experience to succeed against the very best T20 sides in the world,' he added.
Australia, who have never won the tournament before, will take on South Africa in a Super12 encounter on October 23 to kick off their campaign.
Australia squad:
Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins (vc), Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Travelling reserves: Dan Christian, Daniel Sams, Nathan Ellis
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