Canberra (Australia): Australia named a 15-member squad for the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand and the squad marks the return of key players in the setup. The full-strength squad will take on Blackcaps in the T20I series starting from February 21. Pacers Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc as well as batters Travis Head and Steve Smith are all included in the roster after being rested for the home T20 series against West Indies.
Cummins and Starc are going to replace Sean Abbott and Jason Behrendorff in the team while batters have been added to the 15-player traveling group. The Australian side is dealing with some minor injury problems as they enter a six-game stretch against the Carribean side and New Zealand which are going to be their final fixtures in the shortest format of the game before the World Cup.
Matthew Short suffered a low-grade hamstring injury during the second ODI against West Indies in Sydney. The Australian team has added Ben McDermott for the third ODI in Canberra this afternoon. Aaaron Hardie replaced Short for the game but the latter's recovery is being monitored for the New Zealand series.
Nathan Ellis will also go through a fitness test later this week as he is recovering from a rib injury. Spencer Johnson is on standby in the ODI squad and he can replace Ellis in the team. National selection Panel chair George Bailey stated that the next six game are going be crucial for Australia to arrive upon the squad they are going to play in the marquee event.
"The next six games will provide us the opportunity to start shaping what we think our World Cup squad will look like and potential roles within that. We will also fully utilise the opportunity to monitor and watch the performances of the Australian players in the IPL immediately preceding the World Cup," he stated .
A squad for Test series that is to be played after the T20 series is expected to be announced later this week.
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