Revamped T20 squad named today

Two thirds of Australia's squad for the ICC World T20 ten months ago will be missing when national selectors today announce the squad for the upcoming KFC T20 INTL series against Sri Lanka.

Quick Single: Finch to resume T20 captaincy

Opener Aaron Finch, who was replaced as T20 skipper by Steve Smith a month before the T20 World Cup last year, was yesterday named to return as captain for the three-match series, with a star-studded coaching panel of Test legends Justin Langer (head coach), Ricky Ponting and Jason Gillespie (assistant coaches) to mentor a side that will be without a swag of first-choice players.

All 16 members of Australia’s Test squad to face India are unavailable for selection given the first Test in Pune will get underway on February 23, less than 24 hours after the final game of the series against Sri Lanka.

It means selectors will have to name a radically different side to the one that last represented Australia in the shortest format, a two-match series against Sri Lanka last year, for the games in Melbourne (February 17), Geelong (February 19) and Adelaide (February 22).

There are six guaranteed omissions from the squad that won both matches on the Island nation; David Warner (who stood in as captain for Smith for that series), Usman Khawaja, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade (all in Test squad), as well as John Hastings (injury).

Quick Single: Super seven in line for T20 call-up

And only five members of Australia’s 15-man squad that was bundled out of the group-stage of the World T20 in India - Finch, Andrew Tye, Peter Nevill, James Faulkner and Adam Zampa – are available for selection.

Of the 10 World T20 squad members unavailable, seven are on Test duty (Smith, Warner, Khawaja, Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, Ashton Agar and Josh Hazlewood), two are injured (Hastings and Nathan Coulter-Nile) and Shane Watson has retired.

Along with Finch, the remaining members of Australia’s one-day international squad currently in New Zealand who aren’t going to India – Faulkner, Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis and Sam Heazlett – are in the frame for T20 selection.

But it still leaves room for a host of standout performers from the recently-concluded KFC Big Bash League to have their names read out by interim chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns in Glenelg today.

On the batting front, BBL|06 player of the tournament Chris Lynn is certain to return to the side provided he's recovered sufficiently from the bulging disc in his neck that brought a premature end to his BBL campaign.

Ben Dunk, dumped this week from Tasmania's Sheffield Shield side, looms as a candidate to partner Finch at the top of the order, while Langer last week talked up the prospect of veteran Michael Klinger receiving a maiden national call-up.

Moises Henriques and George Bailey – both of whom played in Sri Lanka in September – have also put forward strong cases in the BBL, as has Melbourne Stars veteran Rob Quiney.

Quick Single: Track Australia's frequent flyers

With highly-rated wicketkeeper-batsman Sam Whiteman suffering a finger injury, Dunk could be handed the gloves, a job he performed for most of the BBL with the Adelaide Strikers. Incumbent T20 ‘keeper Peter Nevill could also be in the reckoning having recovered from the jaw injury he suffered during the BBL, while Hurricanes keeper-batsman Tim Paine impressed in the Big Bash.

With the ball, former Test quick Mitchell Johnson seemingly put an end to speculation that he could make a comeback after the Perth Scorchers’ took out the BBL title on Saturday, saying he’s "done and dusted" at international level.

Quick Single: Langer outs the hard sell on Johnson

That would appear to leave the two leading wicket-takers in BBL|06 – Sean Abbott and Mark Steketee – battling it out with Tye and Scott Boland (whose last international appearance came in Sri Lanka last year) for the remaining fast-bowling spots, while Adelaide Strikers veteran Ben Laughlin had another strong BBL campaign.

Though with Langer this week stressing the importance of having a left-arm paceman to bowl in the PowerPlay, Sydney Sixers quick Ben Dwarshuis - the joint fourth-leading wicket-taker in BBL|06 - could be a (ahem) left-field selection.

As could Jason Behrendorff, who missed the entirety of the BBL but was close to returning for the Scorchers in the final and has been a standout performer in recent tournaments.

Zampa is a lock as the first-choice spinner while the likes of Chris Green, Fawad Ahmed or even Michael Beer could come into consideration based on recent BBL form.

Australia Test squad for India (unavailable for T20 series): Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Ashton Agar, Jackson Bird, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Stephen O'Keefe, Matthew Renshaw, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade