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Cricket Australia (CA) has unveiled its 16-member T20I squad for the upcoming five-match series against West Indies, with the announcement making headlines for the inclusion of Punjab Kings’ middle-order batter Mitchell Owen, who has received his maiden international call-up following a stellar domestic season.
The series, set to be played in Jamaica and St Kitts from July 19 to July 27, marks a crucial phase in Australia’s preparations for the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. Mitchell Marsh, fresh off a prolific IPL campaign with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) where he amassed 627 runs including his maiden century, returns to captain the side after missing the previous T20I series against Pakistan due to injury.
The meteoric rise of Mitchell Owen
Owen’s selection caps a remarkable rise for the Hobart Hurricanes opener, who was the highest run-scorer in the 2024-25 Big Bash League and delivered a record-breaking century in the final. His performances also caught the eye during IPL 2025, where he replaced an injured Glenn Maxwell for Punjab Kings and made an immediate impact. Owen’s aggressive stroke play and consistency have now earned him the opportunity to don the Australian colours for the first time at the senior level.
Chief selector George Bailey praised Owen’s domestic exploits in his official statement, mentioning, “The connection, role development and combinations we will have as options are growing nicely as we build towards the World Cup. It’s an exciting time in our T20 space.”
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Notable omissions in the Australian T20I squad
The squad announcement also saw some big names missing out. Jake Fraser-McGurk and Marcus Stoinis, both of whom endured underwhelming IPL campaigns, have been dropped. Stoinis, who no longer holds a central contract, will instead play in Major League Cricket (MLC) ahead of the series. Test regulars Pat Cummins, Travis Head and Mitchell Starc have been rested following their commitments in the concurrent Test series in the Caribbean.
Josh Hazlewood returns to the T20I fold after managing his workload during the Pakistan series, while left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann is set for his T20I debut, reflecting Australia’s intent to experiment with squad depth and combinations ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Australia’s T20I squad for the 2025 West Indies tour
Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshius, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa
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