Inglis storms into Australia's T20 World Cup squad

Josh Inglis could make his international debut at the upcoming T20 World Cup after the wicketkeeper-batter was a shock selection in Australia's 15-man squad.

Steve Smith, David Warner, Glenn Maxwell and Pat Cummins are among the big-name stars to return to the squad as Aaron Finch's men look to capture a maiden T20 title in the United Arab Emirates in October-November.

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Australia's T20 World Cup squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins (vc), Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserves: Dan Christian, Nathan Ellis, Daniel Sams

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The Aussies have also named death bowling specialist Nathan Ellis along with allrounders Dan Christian and Daniel Sams as travelling reserves for the showpiece event.

Fast bowlers Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye and Jason Behrendorff along with top-order options Alex Carey, Moises Henriques, Josh Philippe and Ashton Turner are the most notable omissions after Australia slumped to their fifth consecutive T20I series defeat against Bangladesh earlier this month.

Inglis has leapfrogged Carey and Philippe to win a spot as the back-up gloveman to Matthew Wade.

The Perth Scorchers star was the leading run scorer in England's recent domestic T20 competition, cracking 531 runs from 14 games at a strike rate of 175.82 with Leicestershire.

He's since played for the London Spirit in The Hundred and slammed his highest score of the tournament, 72 from 45 balls as an opener, in Cardiff overnight.

The Yorkshire-born right-hander has impressed both as an opener and in the middle-order for the Scorchers and his versatility proved vital in earning a national call-up for the first time.

"Josh has been on our radar for some time with his performances in white ball cricket and more recently in the Vitality Blast where he topped the run charts," selection chair George Bailey said.

"He offers the squad flexibility in the batting order with his adaptability, counterattacking ability and power striking. He is a player we are excited about for the future."

Speaking to cricket.com.au earlier this year, Ricky Ponting tipped Inglis, who was arguably the best domestic player across all formats last year, as a potential World Cup bolter.

"He plays spin really well and you think about where the World Cup is going to be, he could be a name that could come up," Ponting said.

"I know 'Painey' (Tim Paine) and 'Hadds' (Brad Haddin) have spent a fair bit of time with the keepers and Hadds said he's very, very good with the gloves."

Marcus Stoinis and Kane Richardson also return to the squad after missing the Bangladesh and Caribbean tours, while Smith has been included after recovering from an elbow injury.

Ellis' selection is reward for remarkable perseverance; the right-arm quick moved from Sydney to Hobart four years ago without a state contract before becoming one of the KFC BBL's best death bowlers with the Hobart Hurricanes.

The 26-year-old won selection on Australia's tours of the Caribbean and Bangladesh as a reserve before he was promoted to the main squad and took a hat-trick on international debut against Bangladesh. He then also impressed with a miserly haul of 2-16 in the final match of that series.

Sams, another to pull out of the recent T20I tours, has also been a BBL standout. The Sydney Thunder left-arm quick is one of the competition's most prolific wicket takers, while his improved lower-order hitting has only increased his appeal.

Christian, meanwhile, gets the nod as a back-up due to his 'finishing' skills, though his most notable contribution during his recent return to Australian colours was when he was sent in as a pinch hitter against Bangladesh, smashing five sixes in the visitors' only win of the series in Dhaka.

Leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson has unsurprisingly made the squad to give Australia three specialist spin bowling options - along with Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar – on worn surfaces that are expected to take increasing amounts of turn due to the IPL being held immediately before the tournament.

"Mitchell has been impressive with the opportunities he has had," Bailey said.

"Given the amount of cricket being played at the World Cup venues, we expect the wickets in the UAE to favour slow bowling, particularly in the latter stages, so he gives us another strong leg-spin option."

Eleven of the 18 players selected hold IPL deals, with the majority of those expected to take part. Cummins, however, is not expected to be among them so he can remain in Sydney for the birth of his first child.

"We are confident this squad has the ability to take the side deep into what will be an extremely competitive tournament," said Bailey.

"We have some of the best players in the world in their respective roles combined with the collective experience to succeed against the very best T20 sides in the world."

The squad is due to depart for the UAE in late September or early October.

2021 Men's T20 World Cup key info

Australia's squad

Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins (vc), Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserves: Dan Christian, Nathan Ellis, Daniel Sams

Australia's matches

October 23v South Africa in Abu Dhabi (2pm local time, 9pm AEDT)

October 28v Qualifier A1 in Dubai (6pm local time, 1am Oct 29 AEDT)

October 30v England in Dubai (6pm local time, 1am Oct 31 AEDT)

November 4v Qualifier B2 in Dubai (2pm local time, 9pm AEDT)

November 6v West Indies in Abu Dhabi (2pm local time, 9pm AEDT)

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2021 ICC T20 WORLD CUP SCHEDULE

How teams are grouped

Round 1

Group A: Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands, Namibia

Group B: Bangladesh, Scotland, Papua New Guinea, Oman

Super 12s

Group 1: England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, A1, B2

Group 2: India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, B1, A2