Fraser-McGurk and Bartlett Join Australia’s T20I Squad for West Indies Series
Australia has made two key changes to its T20I squad for the upcoming five-match series against the West Indies, bringing in young opener Jake Fraser-McGurk and fast bowler Xavier Bartlett. They replace Spencer Johnson and Josh Hazlewood, both of whom will miss the series due to injury recovery and workload management, respectively.
Fraser-McGurk, who was recently left out of Australia’s central contracts list, now has an opportunity to re-establish himself in the national setup. He’ll be eager to put recent struggles behind him and make an impression in the Caribbean conditions.
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Hazlewood will return home to begin preparations for Australia’s white-ball tour of South Africa next month. Johnson, meanwhile, is still recovering from a back injury that sidelined him during the IPL.
Xavier Bartlett’s inclusion comes on the back of consistent performances in T20 cricket, including a standout start to his international career with 11 wickets in seven matches at a strong average. His recent form in Major League Cricket and domestic cricket earned him another chance at the international level.
Australia enters this series in strong T20I form, having won 12 of their last 14 matches. With the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup scheduled for next year in India and Sri Lanka, the team will aim to fine-tune combinations and test bench strength.
Mitchell Marsh will lead the squad in the absence of senior players like Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Travis Head, all of whom are returning home after a successful Test series against the West Indies. Marsh, who has been in excellent form, will look to maintain his momentum as captain.
The five-match T20I series will begin with two games in Kingston, Jamaica, followed by three matches in Basseterre, St Kitts.
Australia’s full T20I squad for the West Indies series includes: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Xavier Bartlett, Josh Inglis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Owen, Matthew Short, and Adam Zampa.
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