Mitchell Marsh new Australian T20 captain

A new era for Australia’s T20 team has been revealed, with Aaron Finch’s captaincy replacement and a serious Pat Cummins injury confirmed.

Mitch Marsh was the hero in Australia’s T20 World Cup win in 2021 and his value to the team has been confirmed after being named captain for a three-match series in South Africa that will feature a host of new faces.

It could also be an audition for the ODI captaincy with selection chief George Bailey suggesting a good “common thread” for the white-ball teams would be having the one leader and that looms as an option after the World Cup.

It comes as selectors name an 18-man squad for the ODI World Cup which will follow a five-match series in South Africa, including captain Pat Cummins despite revelations he played the final Ashes Test with a fractured wrist and will need six weeks recovery.

He’s still expected to join the South Africa tour late but 31-year-old Marsh, who made a stunning Test return with an Ashes century at Headingley, replaces the retired Aaron Finch as T20 skipper and will lead a team with rising stars Aaron Hardie and left-arm bowler Spencer Johnson for the series that begins on August 31.

Test players Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Cameron Green and David Warner will also miss the T20 Series with spinner Ashton Agar who has a calf injury.

All will join for the one-day leg of the South African tour to prepare for the World Cup with the squad which will be trimmed to 15 for the tournament.

It doesn’t include Test star Marnus Labuschagne who was overlooked, while Glenn Maxwell will also to miss the ODI component of the tour due to the impending birth of his first child

That opened the door for all-rounder Hardie, who was named in both the T20 and ODI squads, while rookie spinner Tanveer Sangha will get to vie for a World Cup spot with established spin stars Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar in the spin-friendly conditions in India.

Bailey said they hadn’t “seen enough” good limited overs performances from Labuschagne to keep him in the team.

“Marnus at his best is good enough to hold down a spot in the one-day team,” he said.

“We haven‘t seen enough of it consistently.” 

Mitchell Marsh celebrates the World Cup win with teammates. Picture: Indranil Mukherjee / AFP

Cummins has been named as ODI skipper despite suffering an “undisplaced fracture of his left radius” in the final Ashes Test that requires six weeks of rehab.

He’s expected to be ready for the World Cup.

“We expect him to join the squad during the South African ODI Series. We view a period of enforced rest for Pat as a positive ahead of this important World Cup campaign,” selection chief George Bailey said.

“There are still a number of games he could play before the World Cup which is more than enough for him to have a strong preparation.”

While Cummins will remain in charge of Australia’s one-day team and take them through the World Cup campaign in India, Marsh has been given the reins, for now, of a T20 outfit headed to its own World Cup in the West Indies and US in 2024.

Marsh, who was player of the match and smashed the winning runs in the 2021 World Cup final against New Zealand, is now one of the first picked in Australia’s white-ball teams and was chosen for the captaincy ahead of Travis Head and Alex Carey.

It could lead to Marsh leading both the T20 and ODI teams with Bailey confirming that something to be considered after the ODI World Cup.

“You‘ve got a little bit of continuity across your group and you’re not constantly changing,” Bailey said of the two-team captaincy.

“It‘s nice to have that common thread throughout, but (we’re) also aware that could be a pie-in-the-sky dream.

“What we don‘t really know is just what the team looks like post World Cup ... they tend to be the end of the line for some players.

“We‘ll keep assessing that as it goes.”

Spencer Johnson has made a huge impact for the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Big Bash player of the tournament, Matt Short, is also in the T20 squad and will get a shot at an international debut along with Hardie and Johnson.

“Aaron, Spencer and Matt have been outstanding in the BBL and identified as potential national players of the future. This tour is a great opportunity for all three to demonstrate those skills in a national team environment,” Bailey said.

“Aaron has impressed in recent outings for Australia A as well as for the Scorchers, while Matt has blossomed with extra responsibility at the top of the order for the Strikers.

“Spencer’s left-arm pace and bounce was highly effective in his first season for the Heat. This trip will be a fantastic experience for all three and the chance to play their first games for their country.”

Jason Behrendorff also returns to national colours for the first time since the 2022 Pakistan tour.

Pat Cummins with a heavily bandaged left wrist after the final Ashes Test at The Oval. Picture: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Australian ODI and extended World Cup squad:

Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

Australian T20 squad:

Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Jason Behrendorff, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.