He has had gigs in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and Indian Premier League (IPL).
Punjab Kings (PBKS) newly-recruited Australian star Mitchell Owen earns maiden Australia call-up for the five-match T20I series against the West Indies in July. Owen had a fantastic Big Bash League 2024/25, where he scored a sensational century in the final to help Hobart Hurricanes win.
Since then, he has had gigs in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and Indian Premier League (IPL). While he couldn’t make a significant impact in these leagues, Owen’s talent was good enough to give him a run in the shortest format.
Meanwhile, Jake Fraser-McGurk has been dropped after enduring a rough patch in international and franchise cricket in the last year or so. He had a terrible run in T20Is for Australia, scoring a mere 113 runs at an average of 16.14 and a 143.03 strike rate in seven outings.
Then, McGurk also had a tough IPL 2025 for Delhi Capitals, where he accumulated only 55 runs across six innings before being dropped midway through the season. He was supposed to be an instant replacement for David Warner in white-ball cricket, but performances haven’t come consistently after initial carnage.
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Marcus Stoinis and Xavier Bartlett, who were with PBKS in IPL 2025, have been excluded from the team. Stoinis, who retired from the ODI format earlier this year, doesn’t have a central contract and will play in The Hundred in August when Australia will take on South Africa in a three-match T20I series.
That puts his inclusion in the national setup in jeopardy, for Australia would want most of their players available every time as they prepare for the T20 World Cup 2026. Xavier Bartlett, who did well in patches for PBKS, couldn’t make it to the squad either, probably because Josh Hazlewood has been included and will take the new ball.
Meanwhile, Cameron Green, who recently returned to competitive cricket after surgery, gets a spot but will only play as a batter. He has been recovering well and will get into bowling later this year.
A key focus has been on bolstering spin-bowling options, and Australia have selected as many as four such players, Adam Zampa, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, and Cooper Connolly. The next T20 World Cup will be played in India and Sri Lanka, where spinners play a crucial role, and four spinners is a move in that direction.
Mitchell Marsh, who missed the previous T20I series against Pakistan in November last year, has returned and will take over the leadership duties. He has had a terrific IPL 2025, with the fifth-most runs (627) at an average of 48.23 and a 163.71 strike rate, including six fifties and a century.
His expertise as an opener might tempt Australia to give him that opening slot for the next T20 World Cup. Usually, he plays at No.3 for Australia and has been successful in that role.
Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc will rest for this T20I series after a hectic schedule. They played IPL 2025 and are in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final, along with a three-match Test series against the West Indies. Travis Head will also be unavailable for the T20I rubber.
Head’s absence will help Australia identify their second opener and backup options at the top. Nathan Ellis, Ben Dwarshuis, and Spencer Johnson will be other pace-bowling options with Hazlewood for the T20I series.
Mitchell Marsh (capt), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa
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