Delhi: The Australian cricket team has suffered a big setback before the ICC T20 World Cup. Star fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has not fully recovered from the injury and due to this he will not be able to participate in the tournament. Hazlewood has been suffering from a hamstring injury for a long time and the medical team has not considered him fit to play yet.

Cricket Australia (CA) has confirmed Hazlewood’s exit from the tournament. The board has also made it clear that at present no other player will be included in his place in the team.

Hope of being fit till Super-8 also dashed

Australian selection committee head Tony Dodemide said that the team management was hopeful that Hazlewood could be fit for the Super-8 stage. However, his recovery has been slower than expected. According to Dodemide, rushing his return at this time could be risky for the future, so no risk will be taken.

Australia’s World Cup starts from February 11

The T20 World Cup is going to start from 7th February, while the Australian team will play its first match on 11th February. This match was against Ireland. Will be held at Premadasa Cricket Stadium.

Australia included in Group B

Australia has got a place in Group B, where along with it the teams of Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Oman and Ireland are present. On paper, Australia is considered to be the strongest team in this group, but it is likely to face a tough challenge from Sri Lanka and Ireland.

The team will play its league matches against Zimbabwe on 13 February, Sri Lanka on 16 February and Oman on 20 February.

Three players will get World Cup debut

This time, three such players have been included in the Australian team, who will be seen in the T20 World Cup for the first time. Spinner Matthew Kuhneman, all-rounder Cooper Connolly and fast bowler Xavier Bartlett have been selected for this big tournament for the first time. Connolly’s selection was the most talked about, because he has not played T20 International cricket in recent months.

Balance of experience and youthful enthusiasm

Experienced players like Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Cameron Green and Tim David have been retained in the team. At the same time, the responsibility of the bowling attack will be on bowlers like Xavier Bartlett, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis and Adam Zampa.

Australia’s T20 World Cup squad

Mitchell Marsh (captain), Travis Head, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Matthew Renshaw, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Josh Inglis, Ben Dwarshuis, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Kuhneman and Adam Zampa.

Reserve player – sean abbott

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