Australia announce extended squad for ICC World Cup

Australia have announced an 18-man squad for October’s 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India with Western Australian allrounder Aaron Hardie and NSW leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha among the surprise call-ups.

Australia’s campaign begins against hosts India in Chennai on 8 October before facing South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Netherlands, New Zealand, England, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

The squad, who will travel to South Africa for a five-match ODI series and India for a three-match ODI series next month, will be trimmed to 15 prior to the start of the tournament.

Marnus Labuschagne is the most notable omission with selectors making the difficult call to leave the world’s fifth-ranked Test batter and ODI mainstay out of the squad.

Captain Pat Cummins will be sidelined for six weeks with a fractured wrist but is expected to join the squad in South Africa to prepare for an India return.

Mitchell Starc is expected to fit to play despite nursing a shoulder complaint whilst Glenn Maxwell is set to join the squad in India due to the birth of his first child.

Sangha has spent nearly 12 months sidelined with a stress fracture in his back but firms as a bolter for Australia’s World Cup squad.

David Warner and Travis Head appear the favourites to open, however, newly-named T20I skipper Mitchell Marsh may come into the fray after impressing atop the order in the past.

With Marsh, Hardie, Cameron Green and Marcus Stoinis all a part of the squad, Australia has no dearth of allrounder options.

Adam Zampa will enter the tournament as the side’s first-choice spinner with Cummins, Starc, and Josh Hazlewood making up a fearsome pace trio.

Extended 18-man Australia ICC World Cup squad

• Sean Abbott
• Ashton Agar
• Alex Carey
• Pat Cummins (c)
• Nathan Ellis
• Cameron Green
• Aaron Hardie
• Josh Hazlewood
• Travis Head
• Josh Inglis
• Mitchell Marsh
• Glenn Maxwell
• Tanveer Sangha
• Steve Smith
• Mitchell Starc
• Marcus Stoinis
• David Warner
• Adam Zampa