Defending champions Australia become the first to Announce Squad for T20 World Cup 2022:
On Thursday, the defending champions Australia became the first team to announce their squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, due to commence in October.
There was a surprise inclusion in the squad as the hard-hitting All-Rounder Tim David has been included in the squad. The All-Rounder has formally completed the switch from Associate Member Singapore and is now part of the Aussie squad for the upcoming world cup.
Tim David will be replacing spinner Mitch Swepson from the 2021 World Cup squad and will give Aaron Finch another option with the bat. This is the only change the selectors have made in the Australian squad which took part in the 2021 World Cup, and therefore the rest of the squad remains the same.
The addition of Tim David would be a bonus for Australia as he adds strength to their batting with his power-hitting ability. The defending champions will go into the tournament as one of the favourite sides as the tournament takes place in their home conditions.
The chair of Australian Selectors, George Bailey, welcomed the inclusion of Tim David and said: “Tim David continues to establish himself with some quality performances in leagues around the world, earning a place in the squad. He is a highly gifted, natural ball striker who will add extra batting depth to the group which has had a lot of success in T20 cricket.”
“We expect him to play a similar role to that he has been playing in the past few years.”
Speaking about Mitchell Swepson missing out on selection he said: “Mitchell Swepson was unlucky to miss out based on conditions in the UAE at the last World Cup where we planned for tired, spinning wickets compared to what we would expect are good batting conditions along with the larger grounds in Australia”.
Australia’s campaign begins in Sydney on October 22 when they take on trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand at the SCG.
The full squad of the defending champions is as below:
Aaron Finch (c), Pat Cummins (VC), Ashton Agar, Tim David, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.
