Scotland vs Australia 2nd T20I Highlights© AFP

File image of Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Ponting.© AFP

Australia announced their T20I squad for their upcoming series against Scotland and England, with Perth Scorchers all-rounder Cooper Connolly earning his maiden T20I call-up. The post-David Warner era has begun for Australia, and a new opening pair will take the field for their white-ball series against Scotland and England. The Baggy Greens will play a three-match T20I series against Scotland in September. Australia will also play three T20Is and five ODIs against England later in the month.

The three T20Is against Scotland will be played on September 4, 6, and 7, and the England T20I series will begin on September 11.

In Warner’s place, Jake Fraser-McGurk has been included in the T20I squads for both series and in the ODI squad against England. Fraser-McGurk will look to establish himself as a long-term opening alternative for Australia.

Connolly has featured in 15 domestic T20s. He starred for Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League 2022-23 final with his quick-fire 25* off 11 deliveries. In his Sheffield Shield debut, he scored 90 against Tasmania earlier this year.

Mitchell Marsh will lead the side in the absence of Pat Cummins, who has been rested. Cummins is currently involved in the ongoing Major League Cricket with the San Francisco Unicorns.

The experienced duo of Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell will also miss the T20I series but will link up with the squad for the ODI series against England.

Matthew Short, who travelled with Australia’s T20 World Cup squad as a reserve player, will miss out on the T20I tour due to the birth of his first child.

“This tour gives us a great opportunity to bring in some new players in the absence of David Warner and Matthew Wade, as well as giving some senior players time to prepare for the home summer and a busy first half of next year. We are particularly pleased to offer Cooper his first opportunity in the T20 squad, having introduced the likes of Jake, Spencer, Xavier and Aaron in the past 12 months. They are exciting prospects to join the likes of Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis and Josh Inglis in the white-ball set-up,” national selector George Bailey said in a statement by Cricket Australia.

With the ICC Champions Trophy almost seven months away, Australia will try to find the right balance within the ODI team.

“With the Champions Trophy on our doorstep early next year, the white-ball series against Pakistan leading into the summer and a huge home Test series against India, there has been a lot of planning invested into these next six months. That has included gradual integration of new players into our white-ball squads who have earned international opportunities via excellent form in Big Bash or state cricket,” he added.

Australia T20I squad for Scotland and England: Mitchell Marsh (capt), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Spencer Johnson, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Australia ODI squad for England: Mitchell Marsh (capt), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis (wk), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.

Australia’s David Warner has tipped Jake Fraser-McGurk to fill the opening role for Australia and believes that the youngster will have a “fantastic career” for the Baggy Greens. Warner has recently spent a lot of time with the 22-year-old. Both of them featured for the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Jake was also with the Australian team during their T20 World Cup campaign as a travelling reserve. Warner’s international career ended after Australia crashed out of the Super 8 stage of the tournament after Afghanistan and India inflicted back-to-back defeats on them.

After Australia’s exit, Warner passed the baton to the youngster as the next opener in the T20Is and ODIs.

“Every time I put something out there, I become a selector, (but) I think he’s definitely got the ability to do that,” Warner said, as quoted from cricket.com.au.

“He can lock it in. And a bit like myself, you (have to learn) how to play … 50 over cricket. That’s one thing that I learnt from Twenty20. I got dropped after seven games because I didn’t really understand how to play the game of one-day cricket. So, from a one-day perspective, if he learns that and understands that, he’ll have a fantastic career, especially batting in Australia. Best wickets in the world,” he added.

With Australia looking towards the future, Jake could be one of the names that could pop up in their tours of Scotland and England as Australia.

Jake struck 51 across two matches off 23 deliveries during Australia’s ODI series against West Indies earlier this year. Before that, he set a world record by slamming a ton in a mere 29-ball one-day ton in the Marsh Cup.

He went on to set the new standards in the IPL while opening for Delhi Capitals. In nine IPL 2024 matches, Jake racked up 330 runs at an average of 36.66 and a whopping strike rate of 234.04, including four half-centuries and best score of 84.

However, the young opening batter isn’t looking to follow Warner’s footsteps in red-ball cricket. In the Sheffield Shield cricket, playing at the opening slot for South Australia didn’t suit him, and the experiment ended up as a failure. He scored 19 runs as an opener in four innings, but he scored his first hundred in first-class cricket while playing at the number six spot.

“Last year when I was put up to open the batting in Shield cricket, that’s not me … it was torture. That’s one thing I won’t be able to do,” Fraser-McGurk said on Cricket.com.u’s Unplayable Podcast during the tournament.

“Traditionalists have a go saying, ‘Why don’t you want to play Test cricket?’ I never said I didn’t want to. Everyone wants to. Obviously, everyone wants to, but it’s just what opportunities will come and also am I going to be able to get that opportunity. I haven’t had a great Shield career to date – hopefully. that changes. But my career started turning around when I was focusing on the white ball … it’s something to work on,” he added.

After their T20 World Cup campaign ended on a bitter note, Australia will travel to Scotland for a three-match T20I series which will kick off on September 4.

Australian cricket team coach Andrew McDonald said on Tuesday that charismatic young batter Jake Fraser-McGurk and all-rounder Matthew Short have been added as travelling reserves with the squad for the T20 World Cup in the Americas because they bring something different to the table. Fraser-McGurk, 22, in only his debut IPL season, gave an excellent display of explosive batsmanship for Delhi Capitals smashing four half-centuries in nine games at an astronomical strike rate exceeding 234.

He hit 330 runs, including 32 boundaries and 28 maximums, prompting several Australian greats to pitch for his inclusion in the 15-member squad. But after being overlooked for the World Cup in the West Indies and USA next month, he has been finally included as a travelling reserve.

“I think they’re (Fraser-McGurk and Short) slightly different in what they offer. Fraser is an out-and-out opener and the way we’ve grown Matthew Short into the team is through the middle order and that spin (bowling) ability as well,” McDonald told Sen Radio.

McDonald indicated that Short could come in handy in the event of Glenn Maxwell getting injured.

“We feel like he’s (Short) a spinning all-rounder much like Glenn Maxwell if anything should move there, and obviously Jake Fraser-McGurk is an out-and-out top order player,” added McDonald.

The two reserves will, however, not be able to play unless there is an injury in the squad.

The Australian team is set to fly out for the World Cup on Wednesday.

“Both exciting, I think they both add a lot.

“Those guys sit outside of the 15, the only way they can come onto the selection table is if there was to be an injury, we’ve got two options there depending on what we lose or what may unfold in terms of injuries,” McDonald added.

The coach said that apart from the two players, Australia had several other options as well, should a player in the 15-member squad get injured or indisposed.

“We’ve also got some other options in Spencer Johnson, Xavier Bartlett that are playing in the UK as well, so if we were to lose a bowler those guys are up and running in the UK… and they can come in, it’s only a short flight into the West Indies from England.

On opener David Warner’s fitness concerns, McDonald said the 37-year-old was doing fine.

“No, not at this stage. We believe he’s fully fit, everything he says is he’s fully fit, we know that he missed the last game for Delhi (Capitals in IPL), clearly that was a selection mechanism there with the way they want to play late in the tournament, I think he played the second last round… we have no fears he won’t be fit and fully available..” Australia play their opening group stage match against Oman in Barbados on June 6.

Australia have locked in their final squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, confirming their 15-player group and travelling reserves. Whilst picking an unchanged group for the playing squad from their preliminary list, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short will accompany the squad as reserves. It means there is still no spot for Steve Smith and the likes of Jason Behrendorff and Tanveer Sangha with the ball for the four-week tournament in the West Indies and the USA.

Mitchell Marsh leads the team, with his promotion to full-time T20I confirmed by Australia alongside their original squad announcement on May 1.

Left-arm spinner Ashton Agar won a recall despite not playing a T20I since the last T20 World Cup on Australian soil in 2022, while Marcus Stoinis, Tim David and Cameron Green join Glenn Maxwell made the final squad as all-rounder options.

Australian players and staff will arrive in the West Indies in stages, with those competing in the Indian Premier League given time at home before joining the group.

Australian chair of selectors George Bailey said Fraser-McGurk and Short made “compelling cases” for selection, and provide better than adequate cover should squad members go down during the tournament.

“As the tournament proceeds, the short turnaround between fixtures makes it challenging to get players in at short notice in the event of injury,” Bailey said.

“Matt provides the squad with an all-round skillset option, while Jake provides further batting cover.”

“Both players have exciting talents that can add to the squad if needed. If not, the experience will still be valuable in their respective development journeys at the international level.”

Australia open their T20 World Cup campaign against Oman in Barbados on June 5, before Group B fixtures against England, Namibia and Scotland.

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

Travelling Reserves: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matt Short.

File photo of Jake Fraser McGurk© X (formerly Twitter)

Delhi Capitals batsman Jake Fraser Mcgurk plays a shot during the IPL match against Mumbai Indians at the Arun Jaitley stadium in New Delhi on April 27, 2024.
| Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy

The big-hitting Jake Fraser McGurk and Matthew Short are likely to be Australia’s travelling reserves for the T20 World Cup which begins on June 1 in the Americas.

The 22-year-old McGurk has been in blazing form for Delhi Capitals in the IPL.

But the top-order batter, who is yet to make his T20I debut, missed out on the 15-member provisional squad because Australia already have an established top three in David Warner, Travis Head and captain Mitchell Marsh.

Batting all-rounder Short, on the other hand, played nine of Australia’s last 14 T20Is, opening in five of them and he was also the Big Bash League player of the tournament in back-to-back seasons.

“Australia’s chair of selectors George Bailey had suggested that Australia would carry just one reserve to the Caribbean when the provisional squad was announced, but they are likely to add a second with the in-form Fraser-McGurk set to be named alongside Short,” ESPNCricinfo reported.

The Australian World Cup squad will fly to the Caribbean on Thursday for a training camp in Trinidad that will include two practice matches against Namibia and West Indies on May 28 and 30 respectively.

Head, Cameron Green, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell, who are all locked to play in the IPL playoffs, will join the squad later.

Players like Marsh, Warner, Agar, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa, Matthew Wade, Nathan Ellis and Josh Inglis have played little cricket since the end of the Australian domestic summer in March.

Under ICC rules, only players named in the 15-man squad can compete in the warm-up fixtures.

“Marsh, Hazlewood, Inglis, Zampa and Agar have all trained in Brisbane over the past fortnight along with Short. Marsh is understood to have recovered from his hamstring injury but he is still yet to bowl,” the report added.

Australia began their campaign against Oman in Barbados on June 5.