Big Bash hero Owen earns Aussie call-up for Windies tour

Mitchell Owen will get his first taste of international cricket with the Big Bash final hero named in Australia's squad for their T20 series in the Caribbean in July.

Matthew Kuhnemann is also in line to make his T20 International debut for the five-game tour that follows Australia's three-Test campaign against West Indies.

Australia's T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshius, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa 

Owen earns his first Australia call-up on the back of a breakout KFC BBL season, exploding with a match-winning ton in the final. With Travis Head sitting out the series and Jake Fraser-McGurk dropped, the Hobart Hurricanes opener could get a shot at the top of the order.

Mitch Marsh returns to take the captaincy reins after Josh Inglis filled in for him during Australia's most recent T20Is (a three-match home series against Pakistan in November) as the side zeroes in on the next T20 World Cup to be played in early 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.

All-format stars Head, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc will sit out the T20s and instead fly home following the Windies Tests, but Josh Hazlewood has been named in what will be his first T20s after winning the Indian Premier League title with Royal Challengers Bengaluru this week.

Inglis, Kuhnemann and Cameron Green are the only other Test squad members staying on for the T20Is, with Green to play white-ball cricket for Australia for the first time since undergoing back surgery late last year.

With Green not set to return to bowling until later in the year, another Western Australian allrounder Aaron Hardie will be tasked with filling the sizeable shoes of Marcus Stoinis, a notable absence from the 16-man squad.

In his past 21 T20Is, Stoinis averages close to 40 with the bat while holding a strike-rate of 154 as well as pitching in with 24 wickets at 19.12. He was one of Australia's best players at the 2024 T20 World Cup.

The 35-year-old retired from ODIs earlier this year and does not hold a national contract, but the bilateral series does not overlap with overseas franchise commitments.

The USA's Major League Cricket (Stoinis has a deal with the Texas Super Kings) holds its final a week before the first T20I in Jamaica, while there is a similar length break between the fifth T20I in St Kitts and the UK's Hundred (Stoinis was picked up by Trent Rockets) kicking off in early August.

Glenn Maxwell also holds deals in both competitions and has been named to play in the Windies series.

Cooper Connolly returns to the T20I squad after missing the Pakistan series in November due to injury.

Spencer Johnson, Nathan Ellis, Ben Dwarshuis and Sean Abbott will be pushing their cases for World Cup selection as the other seam options alongside Hazlewood, likewise for Kuhnemann alongside first-choice spinner Adam Zampa.

Australia's men have more T20I series coming up against South Africa in the Top End in August, against New Zealand across the ditch and then at the beginning of the home summer against India.

"We have a busy T20 schedule coming up … as we continue to refine and build a squad we think will be the right fit for the World Cup on the subcontinent," said selection chief George Bailey.

"There are a number of players outside the squad who can still force their way into the mix for those upcoming Indian series and through the Big Bash.

"The connection, role development and combinations we will have as options are growing nicely as we build towards the World Cup. It’s an exciting time in our T20 space."

Qantas Tour of the West Indies 2025

First Test: June 25-29, Bridgetown, Barbados (midnight AEST)

Second Test: July 3-7, St George's, Grenada (midnight AEST)

Third Test: July 12-16, Kingston, Jamaica (1am AEST)

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster

First T20I: July 20, Kingston, Jamaica (Jul 21, 9am AEST)

Second T20I: July 22, Kingston, Jamaica (Jul 23, 9am AEST)

Third T20I: July 25, Basseterre, St Kitts (Jul 26, 8am AEST)

Fourth T20I: July 26, Basseterre, St Kitts (Jul 27, 8am AEST)

Fifth T20I: July 28, Basseterre, St Kitts (Jul 29, 8am AEST)

Australia's T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshius, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa