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Brutal axing headlines shock Aussie T20 World Cup squad

Riley Morgan
·Sports Reporter
·4-min read
Steve Smith (pictured right) and David Warner (pictured left) walk off the field.
Steve Smith (pictured right) and David Warner (pictured left) headline Australia's T20 squad for the World Cup. (Getty Images)

The Australian selectors have made the shock call to drop vice-captain Alex Carey from the Twenty20 World Cup squad and include youngster Josh Inglis.

Meanwhile, Steve Smith has been backed to overcome an elbow injury before the first game on October 23, as selectors also brought back the majority of IPL players who skipped tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh.

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While there had been initial fears that Marcus Stoinis and Kane Richardson could be usurped while staying at home, poor tour form has ensured they have kept their spots.

Stoinis, Richardson, Glenn Maxwell, David Warner and Pat Cummins are all back in the squad, as Australia hunt their first major men's T20 trophy.

Josh Hazlewood has been picked after being one of the few to impress during the recent two tours, after having struggled for T20 game time in recent years and missing out on the 2019 one-day World Cup.

The major losers are Ashton Turner and Moises Henriques, who have been part of Australia's T20 set up in recent times but were left out of the squad entirely.

Both had poor tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh as Australia lost both T20 series, with few new faces stepping up.

One of the biggest shocks was the axing of Alex Carey.

Australia's wicketkeeper Alex Carey (pictured left) plays a shot against Bangladesh.
Australia's wicketkeeper Alex Carey (pictured left) has been dropped from the T20 squad for the World Cup. (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images) (MUNIR UZ ZAMAN via Getty Images)

West Australian bolter and Big Bash star Inglis got the nod as the back-up wicketkeeper despite having never played for Australia before.

"Josh has been on our radar for some time with his performances in white ball cricket and more recently in the Vitality Blast where he topped the run charts," chairman of selectors George Bailey said.

"He offers the squad flexibility in the batting order with his adaptability, counter-attacking ability and power striking.

"He is a player we are excited about for the future."

Bailed added: "He's (Josh Inglis) a really good player of spin and also really powerful as well. A really great all round player."

Alex Carey's selection axing stuns fans

Fans were quite surprised to see Carey dropped from the squad.

Carey had been touted by many as the long term solution for the man behind the stumps for Australia.

Considering he captained Australia in the T20 match against Bangladesh only four weeks ago, many were shocked at the announcement.Ho

However, many were thrilled to see the in-form Inglis included in the touring squad.

Selectors have opted for four spinning options for the tournament in the UAE and Oman, with Mitchell Swepson joining Maxwell, Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar.

AUSTRALIA T20 WORLD CUP SQUAD: Aaron Finch (capt), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserves: Dan Christian, Nathan Ellis, Daniel Sams.

with AAP

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