Australia T20I Squad For South Africa Series Announced, Mitchell Marsh Named Captain

Australia, on Monday (August 7), appointed allrounder Mitchell Marsh as the captain for the forthcoming T20I series against South Africa. The decision has pretty much made the star allrounder the favorite to lead the team in next year’s T20 World Cup in West Indies and the USA.

Ahead of going to India for the ODI series and the all-important World Cup, Australia will be visiting South Africa for three T20Is and five ODIs. The T20I series will be played from August 30 while the ODIs will get underway on September 7. The series will be Australia’s first T20I assignment since they crashed out at the group stage in last year’s T2o World Cup at home.

The Australian selectors have called-up uncapped left-arm pacer Spencer Johnson for the series. Johnson along with Aaron Hardie and Matt Short has earned his maiden call-up from the senior Australian team. Hardie is also a part of Australia’s preliminary squad for this year’s ODI World Cup in India. All three uncapped players have earned the call-ups after impressing in the Big Bash League.

Johnson was one of the most impressive youngsters in the last BBL. Playing for Brisbane Heat, he caught everyone’s attention with his ability to bowl well in death overs before impressing in the Sheffield Shield too. On the other hand, Hardie finished the tournament as the leading run-scorer with 460 runs. Short impressed with the bat too and scored 458 runs in addition to picking up 11 wickets.

“Aaron, Spencer and Matt have been outstanding in the BBL and identified as potential national players of the future,” Australia’s national selector George Bailey said. “This tour is a great opportunity for all three to demonstrate those skills in a national team environment.

“Aaron has impressed in recent outings for Australia A as well as for the Scorchers while Matt has blossomed with extra responsibility at the top of the order for the Strikers.

“Spencer’s left-arm pace and bounce was highly effective in his first season for the Heat. This trip will be a fantastic experience for all three and the chance to play their first games for their country,” he added.

Australia T20 squad for South Africa series:

Aaron Finch was the captain when Australia played their last T20. With the opening batsman retiring from international cricket earlier this year, Mitchell Marsh has replaced him as the captain of the team. The allrounder, however, has not been the full-time captain and is only appointed for the three-match series against the Proteas.

“Mitch has long been a senior player within the white ball structure, with this an opportunity for him to add to his leadership skills at the international level,” Bailey said. “We look forward to him taking that step in South Africa.”

With a busy ODI period ahead, Australia have rested senior players like Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, and David Warner for the T20I series. However, they have included Steve Smith in the team. Smith had a stunning campaign in the last season of the BBL where he showed that he is more than capable of delivering in the shortest format of the game.

Australia T20 squad vs South Africa:

Mitchell Marsh (C), Sean Abbott, Jason Behrendorff, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Steven Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa