Cricket-Marsh back to skipper Australia in Windies T20s, Cummins and Starc rested
FILE PHOTO: Cricket - ICC Cricket World Cup Semi Final - Australia Nets - Edgbaston, Birmingham, Britain - July 9, 2019 Australia's Mitchell Marsh during nets Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers/File Photo
(Reuters) -Mitchell Marsh will captain Australia in next month's Twenty20 series against West Indies while Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Travis Head have been rested from the 16-man squad, Cricket Australia said on Wednesday.
All-rounder Marsh had missed Australia's last T20 series against Pakistan in November, with wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis leading the side in his absence.
Batter Mitchell Owen, 23, has earned his first call-up to the squad after his fine season with Hobart Hurricanes, helping them to their first Big Bash League title by scoring the joint-fastest century in the tournament's history in the final.
Glenn Maxwell, who retired from one-day internationals to focus on next year's T20 World Cup, has also been named in the squad but there was no place for batter Jake Fraser-McGurk or all-rounder Marcus Stoinis.
"We have a busy T20 schedule coming up through this series ... as we continue to refine and build a squad we think will be the right fit for the World Cup on the subcontinent," chair of selectors George Bailey said in a statement.
"There are a number of players outside the squad who can still force their way into the mix for those upcoming Indian Series and through the Big Bash.
"The connection, role development and combinations we will have as options are growing nicely as we build towards the World Cup."
Australia will play five T20s against the West Indies, with the opener taking place in Kingston on July 21.
SQUAD
Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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