Glenn Maxwell has the most captaincy experience among Australia’s T20 squad to play Pakistan

Australia will need a new captain for the T20 series against Pakistan and there’s a standout candidate among the 13-player squad.

Glenn Maxwell remains a chance to captain Australia’s T20 side in next month’s three-match series against Pakistan, with chairman of selectors George Bailey revealing a final decision will be announced “closer to the series”.

Australia will have a new skipper for the T20 internationals with Mitch Marsh and the other Test stars left out of the 13-man squad for the series which begins in Brisbane on November 14.

Maxwell has vast leadership experience having led the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash and is the most experienced player in the squad with all members of the Australian Test team, including incumbent skipper Marsh, who led the team at the T20 World Cup, as well as captain Pat Cummins, left out to prepare for the Test series.

Matt Short and Josh Inglis are also in the mix to captain the side, a decision which needs approval from the Cricket Australia board.

“We’ll announce it a bit closer to the series,” national selection chief George Bailey said on Monday.

“I think there are a number of players with the ability to captain and some that have had some captaincy experience as well. We’ll work through that and announce it closer to the series.

“With the Australian captaincy opportunity, we’ll give it to the person we deem most appropriate.



Glenn Maxwell could captain Australia. Picture: Darren Staples / AFP

“The way that Andrew (coach Andrew McDonald) and Pat (Test skipper Pat Cummins), and Mitch by extension, have captained and led the side means there’s always opportunities for a bit more of an extended leadership group across the white ball series and the way that the strategy groups work.

“I think we’re pretty clear on where we want to go with that, but we’ll announce it closer to the series.”

Tellingly, in releasing the squad, CA said in a statement that anyone in the T20 squad required for Test duties would join the team after the final match in Hobart.

That could include Inglis who has been touted as a potential for either the opening spot or Cameron Green’s spot at number six after back-to-back Sheffield Shield centuries.

“You’ve just got to cover your bases in case you lose the wrong person at the wrong time,” Bailey said, without declaring which members of the T20 squad could be possible Test inclusions.

“If that does shift, we can get someone across the Perth, and their preparation would look a little bit different, but that’d be okay.”

Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis and Spencer Johnson return to the T20 set-up following their returns from injury and will lead the bowling attack, along with Sean Abbott, in the absence of Cummins, Mitch Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

“The Test squad will be arriving in Perth and sort of finalizing their Test prep around the time of that second T20,” Bailey said.

“We’ve been really clear that we are prioritizing the preparation for individuals around the Test summer and that’ll be the first time that we get that group together. So rather than switching guys in and out and it becoming quite messy, it was just deemed more appropriate for a number of reasons to separate them out.”

Introducing our Men’s T20I squad to take on @TheRealPCB next month 🇦🇺 🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/5TdEF3EqMd

— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) October 28, 2024

With Australian coach McDonald in Perth helping Test players prepare, his assistant Andre Borovec will be in charge for the T20s, as he was for Australia’s five-match series against India in India last October.

He’ll be aided by Matthew Wade, who wasn’t picked in the squad but it is yet to officially retire from international cricket and former Australia batter Brad Hodge.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Rizwan has been announced as the new white-ball captain of Pakistan for both the ODI and T20I series against Australia that marks the return of Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah who were all dropped for the final two Tests against England.

Babar stepped down as skipper in all three formats last year after Pakistan failed to make the knockout stage of the 50-over World Cup before returning as white-ball captain in March for the T20 World Cup.

But once again Pakistan didn’t make the Super Eight, and he has been replaced by Rizwan.

Australia’s T20I squad vs Pakistan: Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Originally published as Glenn Maxwell has the most captaincy experience among Australia’s T20 squad to play Pakistan