Australia face a challenging start to their T20 World Cup campaign, with a significantly depleted squad for their initial matches. Due to commitments in the IPL, several key players will be missing from the early fixtures, forcing the team to rely on a smaller group.
The squad’s situation is particularly dire for their first warm-up match against Namibia on Tuesday, with only nine players available. This shortage results from the need to give those involved in the IPL late into the tournament a short break at home before they join the squad in the Caribbean. These players include captain Mitchell Marsh, who is still recovering from a hamstring injury and is not yet ready to bowl.
These players will miss warm-up matches due to commitments in IPL
Australia’s second match, against co-hosts West Indies on Thursday, will similarly be impacted. Pat Cummins, Travis Head, and Mitchell Starc, all of whom played in the IPL final, will return to Australia briefly before heading to Barbados for the first group match against Oman on June 5. Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green, who were part of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s playoff run, are also spending time at home. Marcus Stoinis has yet to arrive in the Caribbean.
Marsh emphasized the importance of this break for players’ overall performance in the tournament. “It’s important to be flexible,” Marsh told cricket.com.au.
“Guys have been at the IPL. They’ve been playing a lot of cricket, so we’ve prioritized giving them a couple of days at home, see their family, refresh and play the long game for this tournament. We’ll get to our 15 eventually, but it’s really important that we give them a break, even if it’s [just] a couple of days at home.”
Due to the shortage of players, Australia may need to call on coaching staff to field during warm-up matches. The support staff includes Brad Hodge, head coach Andrew McDonald, national selector George Bailey, and assistant coach Andre Borovec. Assistant coach Daniel Vettori, who recently coached Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, will be part of the group but ineligible to field.
Despite his injury, Marsh is set to play as a batter during the warm-up period.
“I’m just ticking off the last few things I need to tick off to be fit and available,” Marsh said. “All went well today. It’s been progressively slow but finally getting there now and looking forward to getting stuck into the tournament.”
Marsh’s recovery from his hamstring injury has taken longer than initially expected.
“Initially, we thought it was a three-weeker, but with tendons, they can take a little bit longer, and you sort of have to go on feel. Once I was ruled out of the IPL, we’ve certainly taken our time to get it right, and I feel lucky I’ve had that bit of extra time, a little bit of time at home to refresh, and like all the others who have arrived today, I’m raring to go.”
Australia’s warm-up matches will be crucial for players coming off the off-season, including Adam Zampa, Josh Inglis, Josh Hazlewood, and Ashton Agar, who all need match practice. David Warner, who had a lean IPL season and a hand injury, will also benefit from these matches. Ricky Ponting, Delhi Capitals’ head coach, highlighted Warner’s resilience:
“He didn’t really hit scores, and then he got a nasty hit on his hand. Basically, had the worst bone bruising and contusion on the back of his hand that he’s ever seen. He’s a feisty little competitor that once the World Cup comes around, he hits the Australian colours back on again, then I’ve got no real concerns about him.”
As the T20 World Cup approaches, Australia will need to quickly integrate returning players and find their form to make a strong start in the tournament.
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