Young guns in line for Australia's T20 revival

With an aging current crop of stars and two years until the next T20 World Cup, the next team that takes the field for Australia in the 20-over format may look very different. 

And with no T20 internationals scheduled for the national men's team until next August, the time is ripe for the next generation of stars to put their hands up, starting with this summer's KFC BBL season.

Head coach Andrew McDonald flagged an overhaul in the post-mortem of Australia's premature end to their title defence on home soil, with the 2024 World Cup now in mind.

"There will be some natural turnover because of the gap, and also the age profile of our team so there will be some people who get their opportunities, albeit next August when we play our next T20 game," McDonald said.

Of the current line-up, it is unclear whether Aaron Finch (36 next week), David Warner (36) and Matthew Wade (35 next month) will be part of the set-up for the next T20 World Cup. 

Set to be played in the West Indies and USA in June 2024, Glenn Maxwell will be nearing his 36th birthday, and Marcus Stoinis will be on the cusp of turning 35.

Pat Cummins flagged when he was appointed Australia's new ODI captain that it was unreasonable to expect he would play every game of every series given his workload also as Australia's Test skipper, and along with fellow fast-bowlers Mitch Starc and Josh Hazlewood, will not play this summer's BBL. 

FAST BOLWERS 

The door is open for a T20 specialist brigade of fast bowlers to stake a claim in Australia's T20 side, chief among them Hobart Hurricanes duo Nathan Ellis and Riley Meredith. 

Ellis, 28, was unlucky to miss out on selection at this year's World Cup. He starred with exceptional death bowling for Hampshire and the London Spirit in England during the winter and has had an excellent start to his international career with 15 wickets in five games at 6.40.

Over the past 12 months, 24 of Ellis's 39 wickets have come in the final five overs, and he boasts an exceptional death overs economy rate of just 7.69.

Meredith's raw pace makes him an attractive proposition. Injury and opportunity have kept the 26-year-old to just five games for Australia but in 45 matches for the Hurricanes he has 59 wickets and an economy of 8.04. 

Scorchers speedster Jhye Richardson is another frontline option. With international experience behind him and, having missed Test and ODI squad selection today, he will no doubt have a point to prove in BBL|12.

Others to watch include NSW duo Sean Abbott and Daniel Sams, who both have international experience and are both very handy with the bat, while Wes Agar, Brendan Doggett and Will Sutherland could push their names into the conversation with big summers.

BATTERS

There could be sweeping change to the batting line up too given the age of the current crop. Warner is already 36, Finch soon will be, and by the time the next series rolls around Steve Smith, Stoinis and Maxwell will all be 34.

Cameron Green, at 23, would be expected to return, as would power-hitter Tim David, who could be integral to the side with two more years of the T20 circuit under his belt. David forced his way into the side with exploits abroad as much as at home, and after a breakout year at the Pakistan Super League, the IPL, the Hundred and a T20 World Cup campaign, he will be a must-watch batter for Hobart this summer. 

Named today as Aaron Finch's replacement at the top of the order in 50-over cricket, Travis Head will have his sights on making a splash with the Strikers in BBL|12 to push to become a three-format player.

Player of the tournament in BBL|11, Ben McDermott has long been on the cusp of being a consistent member of Australia’s T20 side, and must now be considered a front-runner for a long-term slot. Still just 27, McDermott has more than 3000 T20 runs and 119 games under his belt. 

Marnus Labuschagne looms as an intriguing one to watch. His BBL will be curtailed by Test duties, but he's never one to turn down a game and has been key for the Heat when available. An India Test tour and Ashes next year will mean T20 is not his priority but the right-hander has spoken about a desire to play all three formats for his country, so will look to make the most of his games with the Heat during the back-end of the tournament. 

A good BBL could see 32-year-old D’Arcy Short back in the mix. The left-hander's past few Big Bash seasons have slipped from his peak in 2017-19, but he's one of the few players to have multiple hundreds in the competition, and has already played 23 T20Is for Australia.

Looking younger, the 23-year-old Max Bryant has shown glimpses of potential to be destructive on the international stage however would need to find a consistent run of form to elevate him to the next level.

Entering his fifth season in the BBL with scores of 81 and 57 in the final two games last summer, he will be looking to establish himself as one of the most damaging batters in the competition.

And having just turned 22, Ollie Davies has the potential to be a staple in Australia’s white-ball sides for a very long time. The right-hander burst onto the scene in BBL|10 but injuries and form have meant opportunities have been scarce since. 

KEEPER-BATTERS

Some of Australia's best batting prospects also fill the role of wicketkeeper. Josh Inglis looks set to have first opportunity for the position going forward when Wade departs. The 27-year-old will welcome a return to smaller squad sizes post-COVID after spending a lot of time around the Aussie squad but not in the middle in the past two years. It means he'll have a full season with the Scorchers to remind everyone of his destructive abilities that earned him a call-up in the first place.

Josh Philippe will be clipping at his heels and the Sydney Sixers gloveman-opening batter who has long been touted as an international prospect must sense his time is now. 'Flip' has already started the Marsh Cup summer in hot form, however in 10 T20s so far for Australia we are yet to see his best.

Alex Carey will spend the summer in Baggy Green keeping wicket for Australia's Test team before returning to the Adelaide Strikers, and has slipped down the pecking order in T20, but his pedigree for international cricket is unquestioned. 

ALLROUNDERS

There is a distinct Western Australian flavour to Australia’s crop of allrounders. Mitch Marsh could be captaincy material for the national team and will be instrumental for the Scorchers this summer, while Green is a long-term proposition and likely to play Big Bash after the Test season. How Australia's selectors view Marcus Stoinis will be interesting and, especially with the rise of Green, he may find his future is best utilised as a batter only. 

Another from the west on a fast-rising trajectory is Aaron Hardie. The BBL is yet to see his best, but this may be the summer. The 23-year-old classifies himself as a batting-allrounder, however he has netted 15 wickets in 21 innings with the ball for the Perth Scorchers, highlighting his adaptability. At just 23 years old, Hardie has time on his side.

Sydney Sixers allrounder Hayden Kerr is the wildcard within this group, putting his name up in lights with a stellar BBL|11 campaign. The left-armer claimed 25 wickets to sit second on the wicket-taker’s table, however it was a remarkable 98 not out as a makeshift opener in last season’s Challenger final against the Strikers that had people talking. Kerr is locked in with the Sixers until the end of BBL|14 and could well earn himself a spot in the national side throughout that time. 

SPINNERS

At 30, Adam Zampa is still in his peak, and likely will be to the 2024 T20 World Cup and beyond. While this year's tournament wasn't his best, the leg-spinner will be instrumental for the Melbourne Stars in the BBL. 

With the next T20 World Cup in the USA and Caribbean, spin is likely to play a key role and left-armer Ashton Agar, at 29, is likely to remain at the forefront of selectors thoughts. 

Fellow left-arm off-spinner Matt Kuhnemann was a surprise pick for Australia in ODIs against Sri Lanka this winter, but acquitted himself well with four wickets in three games. The 26-year-old picked up six wickets in seven innings with the Heat last summer.

But his opportunities may be limited with leg-spinner Mitch Swepson available for the full season. Australia's second spinner in Test cricket and the Heat's main man, Swepson will need big improvement to unseat Zampa. 

Hot on his heels will be Tanveer Sangha, the 20-year-old who is currently on the comeback trail from a back stress injury. Thunder spinner Sangha is uncapped but has toured with the Aussie squad to expose him to that high-performance environment. With time on his side, the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka could be a more realistic goal, and his development will be intriguing to watch.

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