Rising talent Jake Fraser-McGurk and fellow batsman Matt Short were added to Australia’s Twenty20 World Cup squad as travelling reserves on Tuesday.
Fraser-McGurk has been in rampant form for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League while the versatile Short, who can also bowl off-spin, was a standout in Australia’s recent Big Bash League.
Both were close to being included in the initial 15-man squad, but missed out due to the strength of Australia’s top order, led by David Warner, Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh.
“Matt and Jake made compelling cases for initial selection with their respective performances for Australia last summer and, in Jake’s case, more recently in the IPL,” said chief selector George Bailey.
“As the tournament proceeds, the short turnaround between fixtures makes it challenging to get players in at short notice in the event of injury.
“Matt provides the squad with an all-round skill set option, while Jake provides further batting cover.”
The Twenty20 World Cup will be played in the United States and West Indies from June 2.
Australia squad: Mitchell Marsh (capt), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Travelling reserves: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matt Short.