Marcus Stoinis and Michael Neser in brutal blow ahead of T20 Cricket World Cup

Aussie fans have reacted to Marcus Stoinis and Michael Neser missing out on Cricket Australia contracts for 2024/25 ahead of the T20 World Cup. Emerging quicks Xavier Barlett and Nathan Ellis were both handed Cricket Australia contracts for later this year in a big signal of their talent heading into the five-Test series against India.

Ellis recently proved his specialty in the T20 series against New Zealand and could see himself lining-up for Australia in the upcoming World Cup. White-ball specialist Matt Short was also handed a contract, which will begin after this year's T20 World Cup in June. But the biggest omission from the group was Stoinis. The 33-year-old allrounder found himself on the periphery of the Aussie starting XI in the One Day International World Cup last year.

The allrounder has only passed 50 once for Australia since the beginning of 2022. This was against Sri Lanka in October 2022. While his bowling remains a great option for Australia, Stoinis is fighting for his position in the T20 team ahead of the World Cup. The likes of Tim David, Short and Glenn Maxwell appear to be ahead of Stoinis in the line-up.

Stoinis injured himself against the West Indies and wasn't able to take part in the New Zealand white-ball series to prove his worth ahead of the World Cup. He is currently playing in the Indian premier League with the Lucknow Giants and failed to fire in his first game under new coach Justin Langer.

And while Stoinis will most likely find himself on the plane with his teammates, his role in the team is up in the air. And Cricket Australia have sent a clear message to Stoinis having not offered him a national contract past the World Cup this year. While many cricket fans are not shocked at Stoinis' absence, some are stunned at Neser's omission.

Neser was a real chance to play for the Aussie team in the Ashes last year having performed well at Sheffield Shield and County cricket level. The allrounder has been in fantastic form for quite some time, despite not getting a chance in the starting XI with Scott Boland the preferred back-up quick. And Aussie cricket great Mark Waugh was quick to react to Neser's news and claimed he could feel hard done by after the announcement.

Matt Renshaw and Marcus Harris axed from contracts

Stoinis wasn't the only big name missing from the 25-man list. Former international openers Cameron Bancroft and Marcus Harris were omitted. Neither have featured for Australia in more than two years. This leaves a clear sign the national team is comfortable with Steve Smith as opener of the Test team. But the race to see who will replace them in the future remains open.

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Smith averaged 28.50 in four Tests as opener this summer after moving up to take David Warner's place. The 34-year-old has faced criticism over the move and hasn't yet won over the Aussie public. Khawaja is nearing the end of his Test career at 37 years old. He averaged 34.38 last summer and will turn 38 midway through next season's Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. Marcus Harris and Ashton Agar were also dropped off the list.

Cricket Australia men's contracted players 2024-25

Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Jhye Richardson, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.