Five unlucky players to miss T20 squad

Australia have named a star-studded squad for the Gillette T20 INTL Tri-Series next month, led by captain David Warner, his deputy Aaron Finch and T20 superstar Chris Lynn.

While the squad has been weakened slightly by the clash with the Test tour of South Africa, there's still a handful of players who've missed the cut despite standout performances in the BBL this season.

Here's a look at five players who could consider themselves unlucky to miss out on Australia's 14-man squad.

Ashton Turner

An ongoing shoulder injury has been a big factor in Perth Scorchers star Turner, one of the best performed players in the BBL, being overlooked. The right-hander has played match-winning knocks in successful run chases four times in eight games for the Scorchers, posting scores of 52no, 45, 70 and 50no and striking (on average) at a rate of 183 in those four innings. But a shoulder problem (which requires surgery) has limited his ability in the field and prevented him from bowling, which has counted against him, especially given the likes of Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Travis Head and D'Arcy Short all offer an option with the ball and are guns in the field.

Cameron White

Despite regaining his spot in Australia's one-day side thanks in part to his strong BBL form, Cameron White has been overlooked for the T20 internationals. This is no doubt due to the strength of Australia's top order; it'd be hard to justify picking White ahead of Warner, Finch, Short or Lynn, meaning White would have most likely been a reserve player in the squad even if he'd been picked.

Fawad Ahmed

Leg-spinners both local and international have dominated in the BBL this summer and Fawad Ahmed has led the way among the Australian players. The Thunder veteran has taken 11 wickets and conceded a little more than six runs an over in nine games, making him a constant threat in the middle overs for Shane Watson's side. But selectors have opted to keep the faith with the younger leggie Adam Zampa, who impressed in the recent series against India and boasts an international T20 record (16 wickets and less than six runs an over) that is difficult to ignore.

Dan Christian

A member of Australia's last T20 squad in India, Christian had plenty of success in T20 cricket in 2017 and has put in some good performances for the Hurricanes this summer as well. The allrounder was part of title-winning sides in England and the Caribbean last year and was also a key player in the Rising Pune Supergiant's run to the IPL final. And he's chipped in with some handy cameos for Hobart in the BBL and as an experienced bowler in the final overs, particularly when defending a total, he would have been a handy addition to this squad.

Chris Green

Green has emerged as one of the most versatile bowlers in the BBL and is effective both bowling with the new ball and – unusually for a spinner – at the death. A fast and accurate off-spinner, Green rarely takes many wickets but his tournament economy rate of 7.15 (and career rate of 6.95) underline how hard he is to score off. He's a handy batsman too, as he showed with a score of 49 against the Sixers, but international spinners Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa have been deemed better options in this squad.

2017-18 International Fixtures

PM's XI v England Manuka Oval, February 2. Tickets

Gillette T20 trans-Tasman Tri-Series

England T20 squad: Eoin Morgan (c), Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, David Willey, Mark Wood.

First T20I Australia v NZ, SCG, February 3. Tickets

Second T20I Australia v England, Blundstone Arena, February 7. Tickets

Third T20I Australia v England, MCG, February 10. Tickets

Fourth T20I NZ v England, Wellington, February 14

Fifth T20I NZ v Australia, Eden Park, February 16

Sixth T20I NZ v England, Seddon Park, February 18

Final TBC, Eden Park, February 21