Wade to lead Australia in India T20Is

Cricket Australia have announced the squad for the T20I series that follows the ICC Cricket World Cup in India, with the likes of Steve Smith and David Warner making a return to the squad after missing the South Africa T20 series. 

Under the leadership of Matthew Wade, the likes of Jason Behrendorff, Sean Abbott, and Tim David make the crux of Australia’s squad, while the likes of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood will be returning home right after the World Cup. They will also be accompanied by Mitchell Marsh and Cameron Green, who will return to Australia immediately after the World Cup, but the decision to keep Warner and Smith has come as a surprise.

"It's an experienced squad with a mixture of players who have had their first opportunity on the international stage and that we hope will continue to develop into important players in our T20 group,” Australia’s chairman of selectors, George Bailey, said.

"Matthew has captained the team previously, is a leader in the group, and we look forward to him taking the reins for this series. Like Mitch Marsh in the South Africa series, this is another great opportunity to further deepen our international leadership experience and depth.

"It's always a great challenge to take on India on their home soil. Most of the squad have extensive experience in playing in India, including eight members of the current ODI World Cup squad, alongside Tanveer Sangha, who is currently a traveling reserve."

Wade being considered as the skipper for the series is not a decision that stemmed from long-term planning, rather it was a stop-gap arrangement in the absence of Mitchell Marsh, who led for three matches in South Africa in August. As a matter of fact, Wade has not played international cricket since the T20 World Cup last year and the elevation indicates that he is in the plans for the upcoming World Cup.

The series will kick-start in Visakhapatnam on November 23 before heading in the direction of Thiruvananthapuram, Guwahati, Nagpur, and Hyderabad - where it will conclude on December 3. 

Australia T20 squad: Matthew Wade (c), Jason Behrendorff, Sean Abbott, Tim David, Nathan Ellis Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa