Australia confirms Mitch Marsh and Travis Head as T20I openers till 2026 World Cup
Marsh's T20I batting journey has come full circle. Initially stationed at No.3 during Australia's victorious 2021 T20 World Cup campaign - where his match-winning knock in the final earned him the Player of the Final award - the 33-year-old has now embraced the challenge of opening. He occupied the role throughout the recent 5-0 whitewash of the West Indies, though his personal returns were modest with 81 runs from five matches.Since David Warner's retirement following last year's T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, Australia have trialled several opening combinations, including Matt Short, Glenn Maxwell and Jake Fraser-McGurk. However, the Marsh-Head pairing now appears locked in as the blueprint heading into the next global tournament.Marsh also spoke about the role of power-hitter Tim David, whose record-breaking 37-ball century against the West Indies came after an earlier-than-usual arrival at the crease."We've spoken about it. We saw that in the Caribbean, that he came in earlier than he would normally," Marsh explained. "His skill set is made for that. The more balls he faces, hopefully the more games he wins us."Australia's squad for the South Africa series blends experienced campaigners with emerging talent, as the side looks to fine-tune its T20I plans in the lead-up to the 2026 World Cup.Australia T20I squad to face South Africa: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa.- EndsMust Watch
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