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Cricket Australia (CA), on Wednesday, revealed the roster of their 15-member men’s squad for the impending T20 World Cup. Despite the inclusion of several recognizable players, the unexpected absence of prominent batsman Steve Smith caught many by surprise. While teams retain the option to revise their squads until May 25, indications suggest that Smith is unlikely to receive a last-minute inclusion.
Steve Smith’s legacy in white ball formats
This marks the first time in a decade that Smith finds himself excluded from Australia’s World Cup roster, breaking a streak dating back to 2014. Smith, a stalwart in Australia’s cricketing landscape, has been a constant presence in the national side’s white-ball campaigns, notably contributing to their title wins in the 2015 ODI World Cup, 2021 T20 World Cup, and 2023 ODI World Cup.
Decline in T20 participation
However, his involvement in the T20 format has dwindled over the years, evident from his limited appearance in the 2022 T20 World Cup (played only one game), as Australia shifted focus to power-hitters like Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, and Tim David.
George Bailey explains reason behind Smith’s absence
Chief selector and former Australia captain George Bailey has provided insight into Smith’s exclusion from the T20 World Cup 2024 squad. While acknowledging Smith’s recent achievements in the shortest format, Bailey indicated that the current team boasts a lineup well-suited for the top order.
“I think his (Steve Smith) best T20 work of late has come at the top of the order, and at the moment, we see that top order being really settled. I still think he’s got an enormous amount of good cricket left ahead of him, across what formats, I think that’s as much up for him to decide,” said Bailey as quoted by Metro.
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Anticipation of format transition
Bailey highlighted Smith’s enduring passion for T20 cricket, evident from his upcoming participation in the MLC tournament. He also acknowledged that Australia has had several players involved in multiple formats for extended periods, but it’s inevitable that some may eventually prioritize or phase out certain formats as their careers progress, reflecting the natural evolution of players within cricketing contexts.
“I know he still loves playing T20 cricket – he’s going to play some MLC later this year – so that’s still an itch that he’d like to scratch. We’ve had a handful of players, probably more than some other countries, that have been multi-format for a long, long period of time, and it’s natural that some of those will start to drop off,” added Bailey.
