Australia announce T20I squad for series against Pakistan in the UAE

[MenInG]

Aaron Finch has been unveiled as Australia’s T20 captain ahead of the upcoming Qantas Tour of the UAE series against Pakistan.

Finch will be supported by Mitch Marsh and Alex Carey who have been named joint vice-captains.

The trio headline the 14-man squad selected by the National Selection Panel for the three-game series which commences in Abu Dhabi on October 24.

Aaron Finch (c)
Mitch Marsh (vc)
Alex Carey (vc)
Ashton Agar
Nathan Coulter-Nile
Chris Lynn
Nathan Lyon
Glenn Maxwell
Ben McDermott
Darcy Short
Billy Stanlake
Mitch Starc
Andrew Tye
Adam Zampa

Coach, Justin Langer, said the new captain and vice-captains were part of the same selection process used to identify the leaders of the Men's Test team.

“Firstly, I’d like to acknowledge Aaron, Mitch and Alex on being announced as the new captain and vice-captains of the Australian T20 squad.”

“They are outstanding young men and extremely talented cricketers. To be endorsed by their peers, and to then back it up with powerful presentations, just showcased their leadership qualities and vision for Australian cricket.”

“Aaron has already captained Australia in the recent T20s we played in Zimbabwe, and I’ve been extremely impressed with his impact on the Test squad over here in the UAE. We know he’s an exceptional player, and he’s arguably the most in form T20 player in the world at the moment.”

“As we outlined when he was selected as joint Test vice-captain last week, Mitch has experience captaining Australia A and WA, and he’s an extremely popular member of the team. He’s a very talented and humble young man who leads through his actions and shows genuine care for his teammates.”

“Alex has great leadership qualities, and again we were really impressed with the way he presented to the interview panel. He already knows the role having held the vice-captaincy in the recent tour of Zimbabwe, and as a wicket keeper he has eyes behind the stumps which we believe is extremely beneficial to the team. He’s an elite professional who also backs up his words through his actions.”

“Chris Lynn has responded well from his shoulder injury and was professional during his rehabilitation. He’s had an outstanding campaign in the JLT Cup to date and reminded us how explosive and powerful a cricketer he can be.”

“Likewise, Nathan Coulter-Nile has done a terrific job to come back from injury. He’s shown tremendous resilience and fight to get back into the form required to be selected in the Australian T20 side. He’s an excellent white ball bowler and provides us with another mature performer in the team.”

“Adam Zampa’s form with the white ball here in Australia and in the overseas T20 competitions over the past twelve months have been impressive, and he’s proven he can stand up and deliver on the international stage.”

“Ben McDermott is another young player who has been rewarded for taking his game to the next level. He’s put in the hard work to improve his strength and fitness, and there’s no doubt it’s been a key factor behind his impressive form in the JLT Cup. He’s performed well in the BBL, and he’s an outstanding young bloke.”

Qantas Tour of the UAE T20 fixture:

Game One - October 24 (8:00pm local time)
Pakistan v Australian
Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium
Abu Dhabi

Game Two - October 26 (8:00pm local time)
Pakistan v Australian
Dubai International Cricket Stadium
Dubai

Game Three - October 28 (8:00pm local time)
Pakistan v Australian
Dubai International Cricket Stadium
Dubai

 

[MenInG]

Australia look very serious about the 2-man VC structure; Is this something Pakistan should also follow?

 

[badsha001]

Australia look very serious about the 2-man VC structure; Is this something Pakistan should also follow?

To follow 2-man VC structure or to have atleast one?

 

[MenInG]

To follow 2-man VC structure or to have atleast one?

yes that too!

Although am not sure, what advice do the 2 VCs provide to the captain - does he have time to listen to two players?

 

[Zerotohero]

If captain is off the field will two vcs lead or any of them
If only one will they toss a coin?

 

[angrypathan]

Australia have actually named a relatively strong T20 squad for once, should be an interesting series. Personally not a fan of the dual vice captain thing

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

What is the point of the two man vc structure when only one is eventually going to succeed the captain? Better to invest your energy in one candidate.

 

[Arham_PakFan]

This is a strong squad.

D'Arcy Short, Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell are quite dangerous if they get going.

Looking forward to a good series.

 

[Usman Chadda]

That is very strong squad. Pakistan better bring their A game, otherwise our T20I ranking is also going for a toss soon.

 

[Sunny_majoka]

Someone said no one take T20s seriously

 

[Sultan Baba]

Me As Cheif Selector....................

Pakistan T20 Squad........

Batsman........

Fakhar Zaman
Umar Amin(wc)
Umar Akmal(wk)
Hussain Talat
Shoaib Malik(c)
Asif Ali
Hammad Azam

Allrounders........

Faheem Ashraf
Anwar Ali
Shadab Khan

Spinner........

Raza Hassan

Fast Bowlers........

Junaid Khan(wc)
Hassan Ali
Usman Khan Shanwari
Shaheen Shah Afridi

 

[OyeOye]

Jhe Richardson once again un-lucky, not gets selects.probably ACB
Saves him for India series.

 

[Hasan123]

Very very strong squad . Surprised Australia have named such a strong squad. Think a couple of these players are on the Australian selectors radar for the WC.

 

[MenInG]

Mitchell Starc is under a fitness cloud for Australia's T20 series against Pakistan this week after having tests on his injured hamstring.

The left-arm quick battled tightness in his left hamstring and was used sparingly during the second Test in Abu Dhabi, which Pakistan won to clinch a 1-0 series victory.

Starc had precautionary scans on Friday night and is understood to have avoided any serious damage.

He will remain in the UAE for the T20 games and has not been ruled out of playing despite Peter Siddle being held over as back-up.

However, the sense within the Australian camp is that Starc can benefit from staying on tour because it will allow team medical staff to monitor his recovery.

Starc hasn’t played a T20 match at any level for more than two years, his absence due to several serious injuries and a desire from selectors to hold him back and prevent burnout.

The priority over the coming weeks will be ensuring Starc is fit to play in next month's Gillette ODI series against South Africa and the Domain Tests against India.

Starc looms as one of several multi-format stars who must be carefully managed during a cramped summer schedule.

T20 skipper Aaron Finch, allrounder Mitch Marsh and spinner Nathan Lyon could also feasibly play in all three formats over coming months, forcing selectors to balance requirements for the limited-overs fixtures against the need for red-ball practice.

Finch was among Australia's best performers in the UAE Tests, but scheduling clashes could leave him playing just one JLT Sheffield Shield round before the first Test against India in Adelaide.

"You've got to pick your best T20 side and you've got to pick your best one-day side," coach Justin Langer said ahead of the T20s.

"If you ask the players, they want to play for Australia. They love playing for their states, but you love playing international cricket."

Australia will play three T20s against Pakistan starting in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday before the final two games are played in Dubai.

The tourists are also set to play a warm-up game against the UAE on Monday, which has been granted full international status.

It will be Australia's first meeting in any format with the nation ranked No.13 on the ICC's T20 rankings.

Qantas T20 Tour of the UAE

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Mitch Marsh (vc), Alex Carey (vc), Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, D’Arcy Short, Peter Siddle, Billy Stanlake, Mitch Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.

Pakistan squad: Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan Shinwari, Hassan Ali, Imad Wasim, Waqas Maqsood, Faheem Ashraf

Oct 22: T20 v UAE, Abu Dhabi

Oct 24: First T20, Abu Dhabi

Oct 26: Second T20, Dubai

Oct 28: Third T20, Dubai

*All matches against Pakistan start at 8pm local time, 3am the following day AEDT

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/mit...ustralia-pakistan-t20-twenty20-uae/2018-10-21

 

[WengerOut]

D'Arcy Short is absolutely clueless against spin.

 

[giri26]

Cricket legend Shane Warne believes Aaron Finch should captain Australia in all three forms of the game.

Finch is already Australia's Twenty20 captain and is in the running to take over from Tim Paine and be named captain when the ODI squad to take on South Africa next month is announced.

The 31-year-old has filled in as one-day captain twice in the past and acted as Paine's deputy during Australia's most recent ODI tour – a 5-0 series whitewash against England earlier this year.

And Warne has gone one step further and endorsed Finch to take the top job at Test level, after the Victorian made a successful start to playing red-ball cricket for Australia during the most recent series against Pakistan in the UAE.

Finch scored 181 runs at an average of 45 against the Pakistan and Warne feels the right-hander can step up and take over from Paine in the longest format as well.

"To me, he (Finch) should be captain. I'd like to see him captain all forms for the game," Warne told the Herald Sun.

"His one-day and T20 cricket is outstanding and if he can seize his opportunity in the Test team, I believe he has a lot to offer in red-ball cricket.

"He's a must pick and captaincy is a crucial element of the World Cup. I think he could do a great job and I like his captaincy style."

Warne has created plenty of headlines in recent weeks, with the Australia great critical of the national team’s faltering batting line-up during their Test series loss to Pakistan in the UAE.

Warne has suggested dynamic opener D'Arcy Short should receive a chance alongside Finch at the top of the order, while he would also like to see Paine take on more responsibility and move himself up the batting order while he remains captain.

"I'd really like to see Paine move himself up and take some responsibility by saying: 'I'm the captain, I can bat, we're not doing the job, so I'm batting at six'," Warne said recently.

"I think if he wants to be there for a while and captain the side, I'd like to see him put some pressure on the higher spots. You need your best players up the order and he's one of our best batters."

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/sha...lia-in-all-three-formats-tim-paine/2018-10-23

 

[giri26]

Alex Carey tipping improved Australia

Australia's faltering batsmen are under pressure to live up to their superstar billing in a make-or-break second T20 against Pakistan.

Pakistan can wrap up the series with victory in Friday night's clash in Dubai after smashing Australia by 66 runs in the series-opener.

Set a gettable target of 156 in Abu Dhabi, the tourists lost six wickets in the powerplay on the way to being skittled for 89.

Top-order big guns Aaron Finch, D'Arcy Short, Chris Lynn and Glenn Maxwell barely fired a shot despite boasting stunning records in T20 cricket.

While Finch described the collapse as "horrific", vice-captain and wicketkeeper Alex Carey said he was confident it would be a one-off.

"With the players we've got in the T20 side, it's obviously a really exciting team on paper," Carey told AAP.

"We've seen what our batters can do up the top of the order, especially at home in the Big Bash. With those type of players we've got in the side, we don't expect that to happen again.

"We put the trust in the players. Obviously T20 cricket can happen quite fast. We trust every player that plays in this side to assess the situation."

Australia appeared to be leaning towards an unchanged XI after training at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday night.

Test squad members Mitch Marsh, Nathan Lyon and Peter Siddle were all overlooked for the series-opener, along with Mitchell Starc who is nursing a tight hamstring and almost certain to miss the remainder of the series.

All-rounder Marsh had loomed as the most likely inclusion but Australia's bowlers did hold up their end by restricting Pakistan to 8-155.

Further, the tourists may be keen to back in highly-rated youngster Ben McDermott at No.5 after he ran himself out for a duck in Abu Dhabi.

World No.1-ranked Pakistan are remarkably on the verge of claiming their the 10th straight T20 series victory, with Sarfraz Ahmed enjoying a perfect run since replacing Shahid Afridi as skipper in 2016.

Australia's form across T20s and ODIs has been comparatively patchy which is something Carey, who played in the ODI whitewash defeat to England earlier this year, is keen to rectify ahead of next year's World Cup.

"It's no secret that our performance over the last 12 months in white-ball cricket isn't at the level we want it to be," Carey said.

"I think we've got a T20 squad that can be quite similar to the one-day squad. We've got world-class bowlers, world-class batters.

"You see with England's side, they're really settled. But they're settled because they're all performing. It's now time for our T20 squad, our one-day squad to bridge the gap between who comes in and out and try to get a settled list heading into the World Cup."

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/ale...-in-dubai-pakistan-second-twenty20/2018-10-26

 

[Sunny_majoka]

this australian side is full of hacks. thay can not succeed on slow wickets of uae