Australia on Sunday announced their playing XI for the opening T20I against the West Indies, scheduled to be held later in the day, with Mitchell Owen set to make his international debut and Jake Fraser-McGurk returning to the side as an opener.
The team suffered a setback ahead of the five-match series, as all-rounder Matt Short was ruled out due to a minor side strain sustained during training in Jamaica.
In his absence, young batter Jake Fraser-McGurk has been recalled to the squad and will open the innings in the first match of the series.
Short sustained the injury during a training session in Jamaica before the series opener. Following medical assessment, he was withdrawn from the squad and sent home to recover.
He is expected to be fit in time for Australia’s upcoming white-ball series against South Africa, starting August 10 in Darwin.
Fraser-McGurk, who was on standby after initially missing out on selection, steps in after having already replaced Spencer Johnson.
The 23-year-old batter has previously featured in seven T20Is, scoring 113 runs at a strike rate of 143.03.
Several senior players, including Travis Head, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, are being rested.
It is pertinent to mention that the five-match T20I series between Australia and West Indies is set to begin on July 20 in Kingston, Jamaica.
The Australian team will face the West Indies in five T20Is matches scheduled in Jamaica and St Kitts.
Australia playing XI for the first T20I vs West Indies:
Mitch Marsh (c), Jake Fraser-McGurk, Josh Inglis (wk), Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Owen, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa