Australia announces two debutants and return of Mitch Marsh for T20 series against Bangladesh
Two new talents will make their international debuts in the opening match of Australia’s T20 series against Bangladesh. Nikhil Chaudhary and Joel Davies have been selected, while captain Mitch Marsh also marks his return to the national side for the clash.
The Australian team lost the toss, and Bangladesh opted to bat first in Chattogram on Wednesday. This is the first of three T20 games in the southeastern port city, with the visitors looking to bounce back from their 1-2 ODI series defeat to Bangladesh last week.
Lineups for the T20 Series Opening Match
Below are the team compositions for the first match of the series:
Bangladesh XI:
- Soumya Sarkar
- Tanzid Hasan Tamim
- Saif Hassan
- Parvez Hossain Emon (player-wicketkeeper)
- Tawhid Hridoy (captain)
- Shamim Hossain
- Mahedi Hasan
- Rishad Hossain
- Mustafizur Rahman
- Abdul Gaffar Saqlain
- Shoriful Islam
Australia XI:
- Mitch Marsh (captain)
- Josh Inglis (player-wicketkeeper)
- Cooper Connolly
- Matt Renshaw
- Tim David
- Nikhil Chaudhary
- Joel Davies
- Xavier Bartlett
- Nathan Ellis
- Adam Zampa
- Spencer Johnson
Marsh’s Return and Opening Duo Reunion with Josh Inglis
The captain of Australia’s men’s T20 team is back following an ankle injury suffered in the Indian Premier League season finale last month. Marsh confirmed that he will open batting with Josh Inglis, who served as captain during back-to-back ODI series defeats, where the 50-over team also lost 1-2 to Pakistan earlier this month.
Although they have never opened together in T20 internationals, Marsh and Inglis are reunited at the top of the order after a successful union for the Lucknow Super Giants in this year’s IPL. They recorded an average of 87.5 in four innings as the opening pair.
Cooper Connolly’s Rise and the Look to the Australian Future
The talented Cooper Connolly, who is coming off his maiden international century in the third ODI last Sunday, will take the field at number three. It was in this position that he had a standout campaign in the IPL, scoring 491 runs at an average of 44.63 for the Punjab Kings.
Australia’s T20 team is focused on the future with four new faces in the XI compared to their last T20 international when they were knocked out of the Men’s T20 World Cup at the group stage for the first time in 17 years.
In addition to the two debutants, Connolly secured his return after the previous clash against Oman, while left-handed bowler Spencer Johnson will play his first international match in 16 months after overcoming a stress fracture in his back.
Cameron Green (scheduled rest) and Travis Head (personal leave) are absent for this series as they begin their preparations for the Test series against Bangladesh in August. Veterans Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis were passed over for selection.
Chaudhary, meanwhile, becomes the first Indian-born man to play for Australia in more than 60 years. Although several players of Indian origin have donned the green and gold jersey, such as Gurinder Sandhu and Tanveer Sangha, there has not been an Indian-born athlete in the squad since the 1960s, with Rex Sellars, a Gujarat-born leg bowler who played in the 1964 Calcutta Test.
Lisa Sthalekar, born in Pune and adopted by Australian parents, was a star for the Australian women’s team in the 2000s, adding a prominent female precedent in sporting history between the countries.
Chaudhary, an all-rounder leg bowler who moved to Queensland during the Covid pandemic, has emerged as a key player for the Hobart Hurricanes over the past three BBL seasons.
Joel Davies, who received the 118th. Australia men’s T20I jersey, also earned his international opportunity through impressive Big Bash performances for the Sydney Sixers. The left-handed all-rounder was the most economical bowler (minimum 20 overs) last season, as well as being the second highest wicket-taker (14) by a spin bowler, behind Connolly (15), in BBL|15.
Chaudhary (shirt no. 117), a power hitter, was listed at No. 6 behind Hurricanes teammate Tim David, while Davies is at No. 7.
As in the ODI series against Bangladesh, the visitors fielded three specialist bowlers, with Xavier Bartlett and Nathan Ellis joining Johnson, and leg bowler Adam Zampa completing the attack.
Qantas Tour Schedule in the Nation of Bangladesh
Below is the schedule and results of the Australian tour:
Australia ODI squad:Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Renshaw, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Adam Zampa
ODI Series Results:
- June 9: First ODI: Bangladesh won by 86 runs (DLS Method)
- June 11: Second ODI: Bangladesh won by five wickets (DLS Method)
- June 14: Third ODI: Australia won by one wicket
Australia T20I squad:Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Nikhil Chaudhary, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Adam Zampa
Upcoming T20I Matches:
- June 17: First T20I, Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium, Chattogram, 6pm AEST
- June 19: Second T20I, Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium, Chattogram, 6pm AEST
- June 21: Third T20I, Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium, Chattogram, 6pm AEST
