MELBOURNE: Mitchell Marsh will captain Australia for their Twenty20 series against the West Indies with regular skipper Pat Cummins being rested, the country’s cricket board (CA) said on Wednesday.

Australia are hosting West Indies for three T20s between Feb. 9-13 as part of their preparations for the T20 World Cup, which will be held in the Caribbean and US in June.

Cummins and Mitchell Starc are being managed to prepare for Australia’s tour to New Zealand, which begins on Feb. 21, CA added.

“We see these matches as an opportunity to narrow down on those who may be part of the T20 World Cup squad later this year,” chair of selectors George Bailey said in a statement. “There are a further three T20 internationals in New Zealand following this West Indies series where we will continue to build towards the T20 World Cup as required.

“It is likely we will use the block of six games to provide opportunity to players in some different roles and positions. We will then be keeping a close eye on the Indian Premier League before choosing a World Cup squad.”

Squad: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Sean Abbott, Jason Behrendorff, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2024