Australia to trial new combinations as T20 World Cup build-up begins

Australia have a five-match T20I series in the Caribbean that starts on Sunday, hot on the heels of the Test series that finished this week. While all the talk in Australia is around the questions ahead of the Ashes, the T20 side has some things to answer ahead of the World Cup early next year. Australia's last two T20 World Cup campaigns have been disappointing. The series against West Indies is Australia's first T20I assignment since November last year and is part of a 17-game build-up over the next nine months, including opportunities for new players. Here are a few things to watch for.

Why has Jake Fraser-McGurk been recalled?

When Australia's initial squad for this series was announced on June 4, Fraser-McGurk was a notable omission. A very lean run in his first 14 international appearances and in franchise cricket, including a horror IPL, had forced the selectors' hands and the message was fairly clear that he would need to produce some significant franchise form, and even runs in other domestic formats for South Australia, to earn a recall.

So when Fraser-McGurk was quietly added to the squad last week in place of injured fast bowler Spencer Johnson, eyebrows were understandably raised. He had made two half-centuries in 11 innings in MLC but also had six scores of 6 or less including in each of his last three innings.

But he has been called up as wicketkeeping cover for Josh Inglis. Australia had not selected a back-up wicketkeeper in the initial 16-man squad. Inglis has battled some back issues in recent times including a flare up during his second Test in Sri Lanka in February that meant he couldn't field in the match. He has had a heavy workload since then including the Champions Trophy and a full IPL before being part of Australia's Test squad, playing in the Barbados Test and substitute keeping in Jamaica.

The five T20s in this series will be played in the space of eight days with a flight from Jamaica to St Kitts in between, with two games in Basseterre on back-to-back days. Any back spasm for Inglis would have left Australia without a keeper. It is understood that Alex Carey was considered to stay on but he instead will be given time to rest after four straight Tests ahead of the ODI series against South Africa.

Fraser-McGurk has been working on his keeping with Australia's fielding coach Andre Borovec during his time in the set-up over the last 12 months for this exact reason, to add a string to his bow and allow for more flexibility in squads if he can be selected in dual roles. He has never kept in a T20, but it may be his only avenue back into the team for the time being.

Where will Mitch Owen bat?

Fraser-McGurk's initial axing had come in conjunction with the maiden international call-up for Owen following a stunning BBL season. Owen has subsequently been on the franchise merry-go-round with mixed success but minimal rest. He starting the recent MLC in blazing form for Washington Freedom but tailed off in the back-end of the season. All of his success in recent times has come at the top of the order but with Australia already flush with quality openers, including captain Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Short and Travis Head, who will rest this series but is a lock to open in the World Cup, Owen may have to make his international debut in the middle-order.

Australia need to reshape their middle-order following the retirement of Matthew Wade. Marcus Stoinis has not retired from T20I cricket but is not part of this series. Like Stoinis, Owen might have to switch from being a dominant BBL opener into a middle-order specialist to find a regular place in Australia's side. His bowling could also be important. He had a decent MLC with the ball including a maiden five-wicket haul. Marsh and Cameron Green are in the squad but neither will bowl in the series and Australia are searching for more seam-bowling allrounders in the T20 side.

What could the new middle-order combination look like?

Australia's No. 4-7 combination of Glenn Maxwell, Stoinis, Tim David and Wade has been the bedrock of Australia's last two World Cup campaigns while Maxwell, Stoinis, Wade won Australia the 2021 title as a No. 5-7 combination. Wade has retired and is now part of the coaching staff while Stoinis was not selected and looks set to miss the South Africa series too, in part due to his deal to play in the Hundred, but is still a chance to return later in the year.

It opens the door for a restructure of sorts. David is known globally as one of the best death hitters in the world but there has long been a thought within the Australian set-up that he could be even more destructive if given more balls to face. There might be an opportunity in this series and beyond to move David a little higher in the order to Nos. 4 or 5 at times and potentially move Maxwell a little deeper at No. 6.

Maxwell's record at No. 4 in T20Is is exceptional but he has spoken of his physical challenges post his broken leg. He has had some excellent success this year down at No. 6 for Melbourne Stars and Washington Freedom. David had three opportunities at No. 5 for Hobart Hurricanes last season with some success but only has 19 innings at No. 4 in 281 T20s, most of them coming through in-game elevations.

There may also be opportunities for Green, Aaron Hardie and Cooper Connolly to bat in the middle-order at times while Short, like Owen, could also be forced to bat down there at times given Australia's first-choice top three for the World Cup could well be Marsh, Head and Inglis.

Two specialist spinners for the World Cup?

Australia's last two limited-overs World Cup triumphs - the T20 World Cup in the UAE in 2021 and the ODI World Cup in India in 2023 - have been won with them playing three quicks and one specialist spinner in Adam Zampa. Maxwell has been the second spinner for the most part, while there has also been all-round seam-bowling support.

With half of the World Cup to be played in Sri Lanka, including one semi-final, the need for a left-arm orthodox has increased. Ashton Agar played two games in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean alongside Zampa but his injury issues have seen him disappear from view for now. Connolly's performance with the ball in the Champions Trophy semi-final was very encouraging but whether he could bed-down a spot in the top seven as a first-choice batting allrounder remains to be seen.

That opens the door for Matt Kuhnemann to stake a claim. Kuhnemann has performed exceptionally well in his five Tests as a second spinner alongside Nathan Lyon. He has played four ODIs, all in Sri Lanka in 2022, and bowled in the powerplay in all four games including opening the bowling on debut. He is yet to play a T20I but has won a BBL title with Brisbane Heat, bowling four overs for just 16 runs in the final against Sydney Sixers in 2024.

This series will be the closest conditions Australia will get to the World Cup in their next 17 matches as the three series later this year are all in Australia and New Zealand. It'll be the perfect place to audition Kuhnemann against a West Indies line-up that will challenge him with their spin-hitting prowess and he has been preparing for the challenge, bowling a lot with the white ball in the nets during the Test series.

Can a back-up quick stake a claim?

Nathan Ellis will lead Australia's attack in this series with Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc all resting. Cummins and Starc are also confirmed to miss the South Africa series. Ellis played in three of the group matches against Associate teams in the last T20 World Cup but the big three played in the Super Eights phase. Whether he can displace one of them for the World Cup remains to be seen.

Sean Abbott also has an opportunity to regain some white-ball form after sporadic appearances in recent times. Ben Dwarshuis gets another chance to impress after bowling well in the Champions Trophy. Xavier Bartlett returns to the fold having initially been overlooked for the tour. The decision to rest Hazlewood has opened the door for him off the back an excellent MLC campaign for San Francisco where he took 18 wickets in 11 matches and made 134 runs at a strike-rate of 171.79. Spencer Johnson's back issue is untimely and it remains to be seen whether he will be fit to play against South Africa in August.

Australia T20I squad vs West Indies

Mitchell Marsh (capt), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa

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