Australia playing XI for first T20I against South Africa. Check debutants
Australia announced the playing XI for the first fixture as the likes of Spencer Johnson, Matt Short and Aaron Hardie will make their debut.
Crickate
Australia will field three uncapped players in the first T20 International against South Africa on Wednesday, August 30 at Kingsmead in Durban. Notably, Cricket Australia announced the participating XI for the first match, with Spencer Johnson, Matt Short, and Aaron Hardie making their Proteas debuts.
Mitchell Marsh will captain the revamped Australian T20I squad, as the majority of the first-choice players will occupy the bench. Due to their recent bowling performances in domestic matches, Johnson, Hardie, and Short have been invited to join the national team.
For the uninitiated, Johnson enjoyed a successful Sheffield Shield 2022/23 season in which he took 16 wickets in just three matches while retaining an economy rate of 3.50. In addition, he made headlines during The Hundred 2023's match against Manchester Originals due to the fact that he returned the most parsimonious figures in the competition, conceding only one run in 20 deliveries while claiming three wickets.
In contrast, 24-year-old Aaron Hardie, who has been named to Australia's preliminary World Cup squad, will make his international debut in the forthcoming T20I against South Africa. Notably, Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, and Adam Zampa are the only four players in the XI who participated in Australia's November 2017 T20 World Cup campaign.
Prior to the ODI World Cup in 2023, Australia has suffered multiple injuries. Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, and Glenn Maxwell, among others, have sustained injuries and are presently recuperating in order to participate in India's premier ICC event. After the conclusion of the multi-format series, Australia will play a three-match ODI series against World Cup hosts India.
Australia first T20I XI v South Africa: Matt Short, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Aaron Hardie, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson
