Former Australian opener Mark Waugh slammed the selectors for not initially picking Steve Smith in the team’s T20 World Cup squad. Australia was officially knocked out of the tournament on Tuesday after Zimbabwe’s match against Ireland was washed out due to rain.

The Aussies were stunned by Zimbabwe earlier in the tournament and suffered an eight-wicket loss against co-hosts Sri Lanka on Monday. 

Meanwhile, Smith was in red-hot form in the recently concluded Big Bash League, scoring 299 runs in six matches at an average of 59.80 and a strike rate of 167.98 while playing Sydney Sixers. However, despite his form, he was ignored by the Australian selectors. 

Eventually, Smith was named as Josh Hazlewood’s replacement but hasn’t yet played for Australia in the ongoing T20I showpiece.

“I think preparation hasn’t been great. It’s all unfolded probably the way I thought it would, even though we’re in a pretty weak group,” Waugh told SENQ Breakfast.

“I know you can’t please everybody, and sometimes there are tough calls that can go either way, but to me, the non-selection of Steve Smith in the squad originally is the most baffling non-selection I can remember for ages.

“ … He should have been first picked, and he wasn’t picked in the squad … then he wasn’t even picked as a replacement, and then they’ve got him over there, and they still haven’t played him.

“Then you’ve got Matt Renshaw, who looks like he’s one of the few players in form, and he’s left out of the big game last night.

“T20 cricket is the hardest format to find form in. You need to pick players who are in form because the batsman doesn’t get time to build his confidence.”

Australia will play their last Group fixture against Oman at Pallekele on Friday.