Australia has announced its squad for the upcoming T20I series against India, with Western Australia allrounder Aaron Hardie and Kane Richardson being called up as replacements. The series will serve as a build-up to next year’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA.
David Warner has been given a break after the ODI World Cup and will not be part of the T20I squad. Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc have also been withdrawn from the series, along with allrounders Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh.
Warner had an outstanding performance in the ODI World Cup, scoring 535 runs at 48.63. The upcoming Pakistan series will be his final stage of his Test career, with him planning to retire from the format after playing at the SCG in early January.
Aaron Hardie made his debut in South Africa earlier this year and has been added to the T20I squad. Tanveer Sangha, who was a traveling reserve throughout the World Cup, is also included in the squad.
The side will be led by Matthew Wade, with Mitchell Marsh being considered for a permanent captaincy role. There will also be a stand-in coach for the series, with Andre Borovec taking charge as Andrew McDonald returns home ahead of the summer.
The T20I series gets underway on Thursday in Visakhapatnam, with Australia’s squad including Matthew Wade (capt), Travis Head, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Jason Behrendorff