Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matthew Short will likely be designated the 16th and 17th travelling reserves for Australia at the T20 World Cup in event of a tournament-ending injury to one of the first 15.
Jake Fraser will be Australia’s T20 World Cup reserve
When the preliminary team was revealed, Australia’s chair of selectors George Bailey said they would bring one reserve to the Caribbean, but Fraser-McGurk, who is in good form, may be picked alongside Short.
They skipped a third frontline spinner as a backup. Ashton Agar is among the 15 for the ODI World Cup, unlike last year when Australia had only one specialist spinner, Tanveer Sangha. Sangha wasn’t in contention due to a hip flexor injury. Left-arm orthodox Matthew Kuhnemann trained alongside Australia’s non-IPL players in Brisbane for the last two camps, but despite playing Test and ODI cricket for two years, he is yet to play a T20I for Australia.
Given his impressive IPL results, Fraser-McGurk’s exclusion from the main roster upset many Australians and foreigners. He has played two ODIs and no T20Is. He was not selected because Australia has a strong top three in David Warner, Travis Head, and skipper Mitchell Marsh and required players with more versatility to fill roles beyond the first-choice XI. Fraser-McGurk may cover a top-three injury during the event.
After playing in nine of Australia’s last 14 T20Is and varied batting roles, Short was unlucky to miss the final 15. As Australia sought middle-order depth, he batted at No. 3 once and No. 6 twice after opening in five games as BBL player of the tournament in back-to-back seasons. Four matches saw him bowl his part-time offspin, including an over in the powerplay in three. He may cover several squad positions.