- Steve Smith will miss the T20 World Cup
- The 34-year-old’s form in white-ball cricket has been poor
- David Warner is expected to be selected for the tournament.
Steve Smith has suffered a major setback with reports suggesting the Australian veteran will not be selected for the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup.
According to News Corp, Australia’s selectors have looked elsewhere for batting options, and their attempt to reinvent themselves as a top-order option failed miserably.
The 34-year-old will not compete in the tournament in the West Indies and United States, but David Warner is expected to be included in the squad despite being eliminated by his IPL team Delhi Capitals.
Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell and Tim David are among the batsmen expected to play in the middle order, while Matthew Wade, Josh Inglis, Adam Zampa, Ashton Agar and Cam Green are expected to feature.
The biggest omission comes at the top of the order with IPL sensation and young Australian Jake Fraser-McGurk ignored by the selectors.
Steve Smith missed T20 World Cup, reports say
IPL sensation Jake Fraser-McGurk also reportedly missed selection
The 22-year-old has produced three half-centuries in five matches, including 84 runs off 27 balls in the Capitals’ win over Mumbai on Saturday.
“Has there been a player who has had a bigger impact in his first 5 IPL games than Jake Fraser-McGurk?” Former Australian captain Aaron Finch posted on X.
‘3 scores above 50, topping 200. The kid is a superstar!’
However, his lack of experience at the international level has meant that he did not take the step this time.
Fraser-McGurk has never played a T20 international and has also played just two ODIs, but former Test captain Tim Paine and Australian legend Mark Waugh called for his inclusion.
However, the selectors will remain loyal to most of the group that helped organize the ODI World Cup last year.