Mitchell Marsh named interim captain as Australia pick 14-man squad for South Africa T20Is

All-rounder Mitchell Marsh is named as the new interim captain of Australia’s T20I side for the scheduled three T20Is against South Africa, starting August 30, making him the frontrunner for the role leading into next year’s T20 World Cup. Australia also included three uncapped players, Spencer Johnson, Aaron Hardie and Matt Short, in the 14-man squad.

The decision to appoint Marsh as the T20I captain (strictly for this series for now) gives a broader view of the situation Australia cricket is currently in – with the selectors eyeing to appoint one captain for the white-ball format following ICC Men’s ODI World Cup in October-November, and Marsh looks like a viable choice going forward.

Though Pat Cummins is leading the ODI and Test teams, he is likely to vacate the spot in white-ball cricket following the mega event.

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Meanwhile, head selector George Bailey backed Marsh to lead the Aussie ODI and T20I teams, saying,

"Mitch has long been a senior player within the white ball structure, with this an opportunity for him to add to his leadership skills at the international level. We look forward to him taking that step in South Africa," Bailey said.

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Star players like Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green and opener David Warner are rested following the Ashes and will join the side for the five-match ODIs.

While spin-bowling all-rounder Ashton Agar did not find a place in the side as he continues to recover from his calf injury, senior campaigner Steve Smith is picked and will find a home in the top order.

The three uncapped players, seamer Spencer Johnson and all-rounders Hardie and Short got picked on the back of impressive domestic performances. While Spencer impressed everyone with his death bowling during BBL last season for Brisbane Heat, Hardie (playing for Perth Scorchers) had a breakthrough season, ending as the tournament’s highest run-scorer with 460 runs at a strike-rate of over 140.

Matt Short, who scored 458 runs and picked 11 wickets, was picked by Punjab Kings in the IPL 2023.

"Aaron, Spencer and Matt have been outstanding in the BBL and identified as potential national players of the future," Bailey said. "This tour is a great opportunity for all three to demonstrate those skills in a national team environment."

Here is Australia’s 14-man T20I squad for the South Africa series –

Mitchell Marsh (captain), Sean Abbott, Jason Behrendorff, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Steven Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

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