Cricket Australia (CA) has revealed the 15-member squad that will represent Australia in the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup in India, scheduled to kick off on October 5. The five-time champions are set to face India, the tournament hosts, in their opening match on October 8 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Australia’s final squad sees one change from the provisional roster, with Marnus Labuschagne replacing the injured Ashton Agar. Agar has been ruled out of the entire tournament due to a calf injury, while Labuschagne earned his spot in the squad with consistent performances in recent ODI series against South Africa and India.
Australia’s World Cup Squad:
– Pat Cummins (c)
– Sean Abbott
– Alex Carey
– Cameron Green
– Josh Hazlewood
– Travis Head
– Josh Inglis
– Marnus Labuschagne
– Mitchell Marsh
– Glenn Maxwell
– Steve Smith
– Mitchell Starc
– Marcus Stoinis
– David Warner
– Adam Zampa
Pat Cummins will lead the Australian side during the ODI World Cup, and the team will rely on Adam Zampa as their sole specialist spinner. Glenn Maxwell demonstrated his value in the final ODI of the series against India by delivering a career-best performance, taking 4/40 in 10 overs.
Ashton Agar, who initially played alongside Marnus Labuschagne with the bat in the first ODI against South Africa, suffered a calf injury that sidelined him for the next two games and prompted his return home for the birth of his first child.
Travis Head, on the other hand, is expected to need at least four more weeks to recover from a hand injury. He sustained the injury when his glove was struck by a delivery from South Africa’s Gerald Coetzee during the fourth ODI, resulting in a fracture in a joint in his left hand.
Tanveer Sangha and Matt Short will remain in India with the team through the warm-up games. Australia, the five-time champions, will play warm-up matches against the Netherlands and Pakistan on September 30 and October 3, respectively, to finalize their starting lineup for the highly anticipated World Cup opener.
