SYDNEY — Australian selectors Tuesday dumped Aaron Finch as captain in favor of Steve Smith for the World Twenty20 which begins next month in India, while Peter Nevill replaces Matthew Wade as wicketkeeper.
Finch has been skipper since October 2014 but with Smith already captain of both the Test and one-day teams, national selector Rod Marsh said it was the right time for him to now take over in the shorter format.
“Aaron Finch has done a very good job captaining Australia in T20 cricket. He will have benefited enormously from the leadership opportunity and will remain a highly-respected leader within the Australian squad,” said Marsh.
“However since he became T20 captain, there has been a broader leadership transition in Test and One-Day International cricket with Michael Clarke retiring and Steve Smith assuming the captaincy in Test and one-day cricket.
“We think now is the right time for Steve to lead Australia in all three forms of the game as it offers us important continuity, not only ahead of the World T20, but beyond that tournament as well.”
The World T20 gets underway on March 8 with Australia, which has never won the tournament, opening its campaign on March 18 against New Zealand in Dharamsala.
Smith said he was looking forward to the new challenge. “It’s a fast-paced game, you have to really think on your feet, be ahead of the game,” he said of captaining a T20 team.
A key surprise in the 15-man squad was the inclusion of Nevill, who is yet to play limited-overs cricket for Australia, but he was preferred to Wade whose recent form with the gloves and bat prompted the change.
Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa, both yet to play T20 cricket for Australia, claimed the spin spots ahead of Test stalwart Nathan Lyon and Cameron Boyce.
They will be complemented by the part-time off-spin of Glenn Maxwell while Josh Hazlewood spearheads the attack.
Finch (hamstring), Nathan Coulter-Nile (shoulder) and James Faulkner (hamstring) were all named in the squad subject to proving their fitness.
Squad: Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Shane Watson, Steve Smith (captain), Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Marsh, James Faulkner, John Hastings, Peter Nevill, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Aaron Finch, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Ashton Agar, Andrew Tye.
Santner ruled out
New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner has been ruled out of the first Test against Australia and replaced by spinner Mark Craig, the team said Tuesday.
Santner experienced pain in his right foot at the end of the second ODI against Australia in Wellington and a subsequent scan had shown bruising around the bone.
The first Test starts at Wellington’s Basin Reserve Friday.
