Steve Smith and Jake Fraser-McGurk left out of Australia's provisional T20 World Cup squad; Smith struggled in New Zealand in February but Fraser-McGurk has impressed in IPL with two 15-ball fifties - watch T20 World Cup live in full on Sky Sports in June
Wednesday 1 May 2024 09:23, UK
Australia have left out Steve Smith and Jake Fraser-McGurk from their provisional 15-man T20 World Cup for this June's tournament in the USA and the Caribbean.
Former captain Smith made just four and 11 during two T20I innings in New Zealand in February and scored only one fifty in the format since 2019.
Fraser-McGurk has also been omitted despite impressing for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League with two 15-ball fifties and three half-centuries in total.
The 22-year-old's strike-rate in six innings is a whopping 233.33 and chief selector George Bailey said the batter was among players who were part of "long conversations".
On Smith, Bailey added: "It's probably for Steve to answer what his goals or challenges are going forward and what he wants to achieve in the game. I know he still loves playing T20 cricket."
Eleven players in the squad were part of the group that won the T20 World Cup in the UAE in 2021, including captain Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, David Warner, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc.
Australia T20 World Cup squad: Mitchell Marsh (captain), 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
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