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ICC T20 World Cup 2024: With IPL players absent, Australia’s support staff take field in warm up matches
ICC T20 World Cup 2024: With IPL players absent, Australia’s support staff take field in warm up matches
Australia’s chief selector George Bailey and fielding coach Andre Borovec doubled up as players and helped the team in their fielding duties against Namibia
The Australian cricket team started their ICC T20 World Cup warmup fixture without their complete squad of players. The team, led by Mitchell Marsh, could only field nine players in their warm up match against Namibia. To make up for the numbers, the support staff had to come on to the field as players.
The reason behind the players shortfall is because six World Cup players, who played in the just concluded Indian Premier League, were given some time off to spend time with their families before joining the Australian team in the West Indies.
Pat Cummins (Sunrisers Hyderabad), Travis Head (Sunrisers Hyderabad), Mitchell Starc (Kolkata Knight Riders), Glenn Maxwell (Royal Challengers Bengaluru), Cameron Green (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) and Marcus Stoinis (Lucknow Super Giants) played in the IPL and have gone back to Australia for a small break. They’ll join the team ahead of the team’s first match against Oman in Barbados on June 5.
Playing against Namibia at Trinidad’s Queen’s Park Oval, Australia’s chief selector George Bailey and fielding coach Andre Borovec doubled up as players and helped the team in their fielding duties. They duo wore unmarked shirts.
Later, when Marsh and Josh Hazlewood walked out of the field after fielding for sometime, batting coach Brad Hodge and head coach Andrew McDonald stepped in for fielding duties, making it four support staff on the field for them.
As these are warm-up matches, teams can substitute any number of players, as the matches don’t have any recognition.
Namibia batted first and scored 119/9 in their 20 overs and in response, Australia cantered home in 10 overs by scoring 123/3, with David Warner top-scoring with a sublime unbeaten 54.
Australia will meet West Indies in their second warm up match and it is unlikely that they’ll have a full squad for that match too.
Australia are grouped with Oman, England, Namibia and Scotland and will begin their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against Oman on June 5. They’ll meet England on June 8, Namibia on June 12 and Scotland on June 16 before they move to the Super Eights.
Australia won the T20 World Cup in 2021.
