Aussies pick spinner for T20 debut in West Indies
The Australians will bowl first after captain Mitch Marsh won the toss at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica.
Left-arm tweaker Kuhnemann has been summoned to replace paceman Sean Abbott.
And batsman Jake Fraser-McGurk has also been dropped, with middle-order blaster Tim David returning from a hamstring injury.
West Indies named the same side that lost the series-opener by three wickets at the same venue.
The series continues in St Kitts on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday (all times AEDT).
Teams:
Australia: Mitch Marsh (capt), Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, Mitch Owen, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Matt Kuhnemann.
West Indies: Shai Hope (capt), Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford.
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Perth Now
29 minutes ago
- Perth Now
It's mind boggling: Ian Thorpe blown away by upset win
Australian swimming legend Ian Thorpe has praised the country's rebuilding 4x100m women's freestyle relay team after they pulled off a shock victory over the US at the world championships in Singapore. Mollie O'Callaghan, Meg Harris, Milla Jansen and Olivia Wunsch entered Sunday night's final in Singapore with a nothing-to-lose approach against hot favourites the US. The tactic worked a treat, with Wunsch reeling in star American Torri Huske in the final 50m to produce a huge upset victory and a first gold medal for Australia at the 2025 world championships. Thorpe praised Australia's efforts, especially considering they did it without retired star Emma McKeon. Wunsch (19 years old) and Jansen (18) are still teenagers, leaving Harris (23) and O'Callaghan is (21) as the relay team's leaders in Singapore. "It is really difficult to be able to find someone to match our most successful Olympian we've ever seen - Emma McKeon. She's not there," Thorpe said. "Cate Campbell's not there. Bronte Campbell's not there. "But what we do have in Australia is the consistency in this race, that it's tough to make this team. "And what I'm most impressed with is ... how they could lift for the entire team in this race. Amazing stuff." Thorpe heaped special praise on Olympic gold medallist Harris, who produced 50m splits of 24.34s and 27.53s across her 100m leg to be the fastest Australian. "Her split was mind boggling," Thorpe told Channel 9. O'Callaghan said the win came as a shock given how young the team is. "I knew it was going be a very tough year, like we've had so many rookies come through, and it's great to see them," she said. "They're trying to gain experience, and it's amazing to see them step up and perform. "We didn't really have expectations on this meet, especially for this 4x100m. "It was just about gaining experience, setting up for the next four years. But I'm incredibly proud of these three amazing women, and the two others who swam in the heats." The Australian men were just as impressive, with the quartet of Kyle Chalmers, Flynn Southam, Kai Taylor and Maximillian Giuliani posting a world championship-record time of 3:08.97 to defeat Italy (3:09.58) and the fading US (3:09.64). Chalmers started from behind in the final leg before producing a powerful swim to lift Australia to victory. "We've all been able to swim really well individually or split great times at different points, but it's been a matter of doing it all together at the same time, which I think we were able to do tonight," Chalmers said. "And like I said to the boys, it's all about now just getting it right in LA in three years time, and standing on the top of the podium there. "It'd be really nice to be able to do that." Monday's early action will feature 16-year-old Sienna Toohey and Ella Ramsay in the women's 100m breaststroke heats, Kaylee McKeown in the 100m backstroke heats, Josh Edwards-Smith in the men's 100m backstroke, and Lani Pallister in the women's 1500m freestyle.
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Piastri reigns in Belgium to extend world title lead
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Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘It's a huge upset': Beating the USA in a relay is sweet. Australia's underdog swimmers just did it twice in 15 minutes
There were nerves. Mollie O'Callaghan, tasked with the opening leg, fumbled her goggles on the blocks. No Cate Campbell. No Emma McKeon. No Shayna Jack. This was one of the least experienced quartets Australia had fielded in years, having won Olympic gold in 2012, 2016, 2021 and 2024. O'Callaghan (52.79), an individual 100m freestyle world champion in 2023, fired off a great first leg before Meg Harris (51.87 split) held the lead. From there, it was down to newcomers Milla Jansen and Wunsch — both highly rated but no one really knew if they really had it in them to propel Australia home. That they did as Jansen (52.89 split) kept Australia in front before Wunsch (53.05), channelling Ian Thorpe on Gary Hall Jr, surged past the USA's Torri Huske in the final strokes to secure gold in 3:30.60 — 0.44 seconds clear of the Americans. The Australian coaches' area erupted at the sight of a young team digging deep when it mattered. 'It was very daunting,' O'Callaghan said. 'All of us were quite nervous. I'm very confident in these girls.' Wunsch added: 'I just wanted to power home and give it all I had. And it's really exciting to be able to stand up with the gold medals.' The Americans declined to detail the impact of illness in their camp, but butterfly world record holder Gretchen Walsh withdrew an hour before the race. 'I don't really want to speak on how much it's affected us or who it's affected,' Huske said. 'But we've done a really good job staying resilient and staying positive.' The Australian men have often lived in the shadow of their female counterparts, despite winning the same event at the 2023 world titles in Fukuoka. This time, their task was even tougher on paper. At their staging camp in Darwin, Flynn Southam, Kai Taylor, Max Giuliani and Chalmers sat down to plot a path to victory. They knew it would take something special. They did it in 2023 at the world championships but had to settle for silver at last year's Olympics. Southam (47.77) set the tone before Taylor unleashed a sizzling 47.04 split in front of his mother, Australian Olympian Hayley Lewis, in the stands. Giuliani (47.63) got Australia into third, and then came Chalmers who delivered a devastating final split of 46.53 to motor the Dolphins home over a highly fancied American team. As Chalmers sliced through the water, his teammates smashed the starting blocks with their hands and willed the veteran to the wall. This was swimming theatre at its finest. Australia finished in 3:08.97, just 0.73 seconds outside the USA's world record from 2008. Italy (3:09.58) pipped the USA (3:09.64) for bronze. Then came even more celebrations, as Dean Boxall and head coach Rohan Taylor mobbed those around them in jubilant scenes. Australia weren't expected to come close but landed a 1-2 blow on their American rivals. 'The goal for us was just to give Kyle a puncher's shot,' Southam said. 'That was what we did. We all did our job extraordinarily well. 'The girls are so incredibly deep and strong, so we wanted to be part of that. We may not be the most talented on paper ... but we get in there and we have the underdog mentality. That was so awesome.' Loading Asked if he thought the USA were shocked by the result, Chalmers said: 'I think it's a huge upset and we prove that time and time again. Every year you read the articles and people write us off. 'We have a point to prove and swim with a chip on our shoulder a little bit, to be honest with you. 'It's not just about the US, but it was nice to get a hand on the wall first tonight and hear the Australian anthem is so special.' The Americans, meanwhile, were licking their wounds after failing to win a gold medal on night one — a rare sight for the swimming powerhouse, who last year also endured their worst Olympic gold haul in the pool since 1988. 'We're tough,' US swimmer Chris Guiliano said. 'We've got some dogs on this team.'
