SYDNEY: Veteran wicket-keeper Matthew Wade will captain Australia in their Twenty20 International series against India next month with a host of senior players giving the tour a miss, selectors said on Saturday.

Wade was elevated to the top job with regular captain Mitchell Marsh returning to Australia after the ODI World Cup in India to prepare for the home Test summer.

Test and ODI skipper Pat Cummins along with pace partners Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are also being rested, as is all-rounder Cameron Green.

Spinner Ashton Agar was not considered due to injury.

But batting stalwarts Steve Smith and David Warner were among the 15-man squad for the five-game series starting on Nov 23 in Vishakhapatnam.

“It’s an experienced squad with a mixture of players who have had their first opportunity on the international stage and that we hope will continue to develop into important players in our T20 group,” said chief selector George Bailey.

“Matthew has captained the team previously, is a leader in the group and we look forward to him taking the reins for this series.”

Squad: Matthew Wade (captain), Jason Behrendorff, Sean Abbott, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2023