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Australia are the final team to get their T20 World Cup campaign underway, and the delayed start could work in their favour given the injury concerns they carried into the tournament.
They are already without key quicks Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, both ruled out through injury. In a curious move, Hazlewood has yet to be replaced in the squad, leaving Australia with just 13 available players for their opening match against Ireland. Tim David is also expected to miss the opener as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury.
An earlier start might have raised further concerns over Nathan Ellis, who has been managing a hamstring issue, and Adam Zampa, who experienced groin tightness during the final T20I of Australia’s recent tour of Pakistan — a series they lost 3–0.
Form is another area of concern for Australia following their heavy defeats in Pakistan, despite several players arriving from the Big Bash League. However, Ellis, David and Glenn Maxwell did not feature on that tour, while many members of the World Cup squad played only one or two matches at most. Adjusting to new conditions will pose a challenge, as will Ireland’s spin duo of George Dockrell and Gareth Delany, both of whom impressed against Sri Lanka.
Ireland, meanwhile, will also be feeling the pressure after squandering a golden opportunity to defeat Sri Lanka in their tournament opener in Colombo. Seven dropped catches and 59 runs conceded in the final four overs proved costly. Despite being well placed at 105 for 2, Ireland collapsed, losing eight wickets for 38 runs to fall to a 20-run defeat.
On paper, Ireland may hold a slight advantage as an unfamiliar opponent. The two sides have met only twice in T20 internationals and just once in all formats since 2016. Their most recent encounter came at the Gabba during the 2022 T20 World Cup, a match in which eight members of Ireland’s current XI also featured. In contrast, Australia may field only four players from that contest, with retirements and injuries significantly reshaping their line-up.
The only other T20 meeting between the sides dates back to the 2012 World Cup in Colombo, when Paul Stirling, Dockrell and Maxwell were all part of the action.
Squads:
Australia Squad: Mitchell Marsh(c), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Matt Renshaw, Cooper Connolly, Josh Inglis(w), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Adam Zampa, Ben Dwarshuis, Xavier Bartlett, Tim David
Ireland Squad: Paul Stirling(c), Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker(w), Curtis Campher, Benjamin Calitz, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys, Tim Tector, Joshua Little, Benjamin White, Craig Young
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They are already without key quicks Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, both ruled out through injury. In a curious move, Hazlewood has yet to be replaced in the squad, leaving Australia with just 13 available players for their opening match against Ireland. Tim David is also expected to miss the opener as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury.
An earlier start might have raised further concerns over Nathan Ellis, who has been managing a hamstring issue, and Adam Zampa, who experienced groin tightness during the final T20I of Australia’s recent tour of Pakistan — a series they lost 3–0.
Form is another area of concern for Australia following their heavy defeats in Pakistan, despite several players arriving from the Big Bash League. However, Ellis, David and Glenn Maxwell did not feature on that tour, while many members of the World Cup squad played only one or two matches at most. Adjusting to new conditions will pose a challenge, as will Ireland’s spin duo of George Dockrell and Gareth Delany, both of whom impressed against Sri Lanka.
Ireland, meanwhile, will also be feeling the pressure after squandering a golden opportunity to defeat Sri Lanka in their tournament opener in Colombo. Seven dropped catches and 59 runs conceded in the final four overs proved costly. Despite being well placed at 105 for 2, Ireland collapsed, losing eight wickets for 38 runs to fall to a 20-run defeat.
On paper, Ireland may hold a slight advantage as an unfamiliar opponent. The two sides have met only twice in T20 internationals and just once in all formats since 2016. Their most recent encounter came at the Gabba during the 2022 T20 World Cup, a match in which eight members of Ireland’s current XI also featured. In contrast, Australia may field only four players from that contest, with retirements and injuries significantly reshaping their line-up.
The only other T20 meeting between the sides dates back to the 2012 World Cup in Colombo, when Paul Stirling, Dockrell and Maxwell were all part of the action.
Squads:
Australia Squad: Mitchell Marsh(c), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Matt Renshaw, Cooper Connolly, Josh Inglis(w), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Adam Zampa, Ben Dwarshuis, Xavier Bartlett, Tim David
Ireland Squad: Paul Stirling(c), Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker(w), Curtis Campher, Benjamin Calitz, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys, Tim Tector, Joshua Little, Benjamin White, Craig Young
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All posters, please take note of the following guidelines for match threads on PakPassion:
1. No personal insults at other posters, players, officials, coaching staff, etc.
2. No making fun of players', officials', or coaching staff's names.
3. Do not add any references to media, their social media, or post any pictures or screenshots from other sports websites.
4. Stick to commenting on this match. There is no need to bring other countries into the match discussion, as there are plenty of other threads where those discussions can be added.
