Australia set for pace boost for World T20

Australia's fast-bowling stocks are set to be boosted by the inclusion of Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Coulter-Nile for the World T20 in India, starting next month.

Australia will name their 15-man squad on Tuesday with a host of positions up for grabs after 19 players were trialled during the 3-0 series loss to India last month.

The captaincy is reportedly also set to change hands, with Steve Smith to take over from Aaron Finch, who is working to overcome a hamstring injury before Australia's tournament opener on March 18.

Quick Single: Finch reportedly to be replaced for World T20

Aside from a one-off T20 against England last September, the KFC T20 INTL series against India was Australia's first taste of Twenty20 cricket in more than 14 months, meaning selectors have had precious little opportunity to settle on their best side for the tournament.

WATCH: India complete T20 series sweep

In total, Australia have played just eight T20 internationals since the last World T20 in Bangladesh two years ago. They will play three T20s in South Africa against the Proteas early next month before heading to India. 

Hazlewood was rested from the matches against India and has not played T20 cricket at either domestic or international level in more than two years, but he would be a welcome inclusion to a pace attack that suffered another injury blow on the weekend when Kane Richardson was sent home from the Qantas Tour of New Zealand with a back complaint.

Quick Single: Richardson ruled out of NZ tour

The full extent of Richardson's injury is expected to be known later this week, but the latest setback is a concern given he has a history of back problems.

While Hazlewood has no recent T20 experience to draw on, his performances in the final 10 overs during the current Chappell-Hadlee ODI series against New Zealand (1-20 from three overs in Auckland, 3-27 from four overs in Wellington and 1-5 from two overs in Hamilton) offer a strong indication as to his capabilities in the 20-over format.

The NSW quick could be joined in the squad by Coulter-Nile, who's been out of action since injuring his shoulder playing for the Perth Scorchers in December.

WATCH: Coulter-Nile injured at the WACA Ground

That injury cast immediate doubt over 28-year-old's participation in the World T20, but the West Australian is reporting the right-armer may make his return in Perth club cricket this weekend ahead of a possible comeback for Western Australia's Sheffield Shield team.

Selectors showed a willingness earlier this summer to take a punt on Coulter-Nile despite a lack of cricket, including him in Australia's Test squad in December despite him having not played any Shield matches during the summer, and the bowling allrounder can also draw on the experience of being involved in the 2014 T20 World Cup.

Victorian John Hastings is considered a certain selection after standout performances in Australia's recent limited-overs encounters, while Coulter-Nile's Perth Scorchers teammate Andrew Tye is also in the mix.

WATCH: Hastings impresses in ODI series against India

While any decision about a change of captaincy must be ratified by the Cricket Australia board, reports that Smith will take the reins are unlikely to hamper Finch’s claims to a place in the squad; the 29-year-old is the world's No.2 ranked T20 batsman and impressed with scores of 44 and 74 against India before injury struck.

David Warner, the leading run-scorer from the past two seasons of the Indian Premier League, is a lock as opener while Smith and allrounder Glenn Maxwell are also certainties in the middle-order.

That would leave Finch, left-hander Shaun Marsh, allrounder Shane Watson and the in-form Usman Khawaja to battle for two spots in the top order, with the batting squeeze set to force one of that quartet out of the squad completely.

Finch has been training daily to overcome the hamstring injury he suffered against India on January 29 and is reportedly on track to regain full fitness before the tournament begins.

WATCH: Finch shines before injury strikes

Victorian Matthew Wade is the incumbent wicketkeeper and despite indifferent form with bat and gloves over the summer, a shortage of viable alternatives means it'd be a big surprise if he was left out.

Test keeper Peter Nevill played just three BBL matches for the Melbourne Renegades this season – scoring 7, 4* and 21 – and was overlooked for the third T20 against India in Sydney, with part-time gloveman Cameron Bancroft getting the nod.

Nathan Lyon, Cameron Boyce and Adam Zampa are the leading spinners in contention, while the national selection panel have repeatedly shown their willingness to gamble on Perth Scorchers youngster Ashton Agar.

The strength of Perth's bowling attack in BBL|05 dented Agar's prospects – the left-armer bowled just nine overs during the tournament – but his rapid improvement with the bat, his athletic fielding and the fact that he is still only 22 makes him an attractive all-round package.

WATCH: Agar hits out in entertaining BBL innings

Zampa, who impressed in his international debut against New Zealand over the weekend, conceded selectors would be unlikely to pick two frontline leg-spinners, meaning he and Boyce are battling for one spot.

"You need to have most bases covered so you’d probably have a wrist finger and a finger spinner, and then you’re going to have your all-rounder and your batters," the 23-year-old said on Sunday.

"I’ve got the numbers on the board lately so it just depends what the selectors go with."

WATCH: Zampa impresses on international debut

Another player of interest is Mitchell Marsh, who was not part of the recent series against India but was picked up for a cool $1 million over the weekend when sold to new IPL franchise Rising Pune Supergiants at Saturday's auction.

Should Marsh be selected, he would provide cover for fellow allrounder James Faulkner, who is currently recovering from a hamstring injury but is expected to be fit for the tournament,. 

"Obviously they picked 17 for the Twenty20 series and they’ve got to cut that to 15,” Marsh said after steering Australia to victory in the second ODI in Wellington.

"I haven’t really thought about it. If they see me in the best 15 that’s great.

WATCH: Marsh reflects on series-levelling win

"But as an Australian, you just want the best team to go over for a World Cup and try and win.

"If I’m in, I’ll work as hard as I can to perform for that team.

"But if I’m not, you just wish them all the best and I’ll keep working hard."

POSSIBLE AUSTRALIA T20 SQUAD: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Aaron Finch, Steve Smith, Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, James Faulkner, Matthew Wade, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, John Hastings, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Andrew Tye.