Fraser-McGurk dropped, Owen earns maiden Australia T20 call-up

Jake Fraser-McGurk's international career has reached an early crossroad after he was left out of Australia's T20I squad to face West Indies in a five-match series in the Caribbean during July while Mitchell Owen's star continues to rise after he earned his maiden national call-up.

Marcus Stoinis and Xavier Bartlett have also been omitted from the 16-man squad while Cameron Green has been included as a specialist batter despite being unable to bowl until later in the year.

Matthew Kuhnemann is in line to make his T20I debut as the second specialist spinner in the squad behind Adam Zampa. Cooper Connolly and Glenn Maxwell are also included in a clear sign of Australia's planning for more spin options ahead the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka early next year. Ashton Agar was not considered due to another calf injury.

Josh Hazlewood is the only one of Australia's three-format quicks who will not be rested for the series. Despite playing in the IPL final and being part of the World Test Championship final squad then the Test squad for the West Indies, Hazlewood will stay on to play the T20Is while Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc rest.

Travis Head, who also plays all international formats and the IPL, will also rest for the series. All three could return for the three-match series against South Africa which starts in Darwin on August 10.

Bump in the road for Fraser-McGurk

Fraser-McGurk, 23, was the most notable omission from the squad named for the series against West Indies that starts on July 20 in Jamaica immediately following the three-match Test series.

He had played in seven of Australia's last eight T20Is but had only passed 20 once, when he scored 50 off 31 balls against England last September batting at No. 3. In 19 T20s since then, including three T20Is against Pakistan, he has scored 290 runs at 15.26, striking at 136.15. He has two scores above 26 and one above 38, which was 95 off 46 in the final game of the BBL season. He was dropped by Delhi Capitals during the IPL season after scores of 1, 38, 0, 7, 0, and 9.

Fraser-McGurk was seen as the man who would be David Warner's immediate and permanent replacement in Australia's T20I side but will now be asked to return to domestic and franchise cricket to work on his craft. ESPNcricinfo understands there is a hope from the CA hierarchy that he is able to play a bit more four-day cricket for South Australia in the Sheffield Shield to help him work on his all-round batting and decision-making to supplement his raw ball-striking ability.

Owen, meanwhile, has been rewarded following his stunning BBL season by being named in the squad alongside T20I skipper Mitchell Marsh, who returns to captain the side after missing Australia's last T20I series against Pakistan in November 2024 for paternity leave and Test preparation.

Owen scored two centuries for Hobart Hurricanes, including in the final to help them clinch their maiden title. His returns have been lean since then during stints in the SA20, PSL and IPL where he has scored just 116 runs in 11 innings with a highest score of 34.

Owen's BBL success for Hurricanes came at the top of the order but there will be a squeeze for positions, especially when Head is next in the squad. Marsh's form while opening for Lucknow Super Giants may entice the selectors to bed him down alongside Head as the opening pair for the T20 World Cup next year with Josh Inglis looming as the obvious choice to bat at No. 3 given his impressive T20I record and his recent IPL form. Matthew Short also remains a key part of Australia's top order plans and will return against West Indies having not played any cricket since injuring his quad in the Champions Trophy in late February.

Question mark over Stoinis

Owen could get a chance in a finishing role given the intriguing absence of Stoinis, who has been a bedrock of Australia's middle-order since the 2021 World Cup triumph and scored 61 not out of 27 balls in Australia's most recent T20I against Pakistan. He also played an important role in Punjab Kings' run to the IPL final.

Stoinis retired from ODI cricket on the eve on the Champions Trophy but is still available for T20I cricket. However, he does not hold a central contract and has a deal to play in the Hundred in August which overlaps with Australia's three T20Is against South Africa.

The series in the Caribbean marks the beginning of Australia's 2026 T20 World Cup preparation with the side set to play 16 T20Is in four series against West Indies, South Africa, New Zealand and India before the end of October.

There is a chance Stoinis remains in Australia's T20I plans for the World Cup given they have limited seam-bowling allrounder stocks and could return for the series against New Zealand and India in October.

Marsh is unlikely to bowl much if at all moving forward given his ongoing back issues while Green won't be able to bowl in a T20 until after the Ashes series assuming his return to bowling from back surgery goes according to plan. Aaron Hardie has been included in Australia's squad as the next seam-bowling allrounder while Owen could also be given a chance to fill a role with the ball but his experience is well shy of the other three.

Bartlett has slipped down the bowling pecking order despite being centrally contracted after also being overlooked for the Champions Trophy in February. Nathan Ellis will lead the seam attack alongside Hazlewood in the absence of Cummins and Starc while Ben Dwarshuis, Sean Abbott and Spencer Johnson are also in the squad as they were in the Champions Trophy.

Chair of selectors George Bailey reiterated that a number of the omissions could still make their way back into the squad ahead of the World Cup given the number of T20Is on the schedule over the coming months.

"We have a busy T20 schedule coming up through this series, followed by three against South Africa and New Zealand and five matches against India at home as we continue to refine and build a squad we think will be the right fit for the World Cup on the subcontinent," Bailey said. "There are a number of players outside the squad who can still force their way into the mix for those upcoming [series] and through the Big Bash.

"The connection, role development and combinations we will have as options are growing nicely as we build towards the World Cup. It's an exciting time in our T20 space."

Australia T20I squad vs West Indies

Mitchell Marsh (capt), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa

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