Cricket Australia has unveiled its combined XI for the T20 World Cup 2024, which features a few unexpected inclusions. While Rohit Sharma is part of the lineup, he has not been named captain. Notably, Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav have been overlooked. Rohit, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah are the only Indian players included in the XI.

Rohit and Travis Head, the newly crowned No. 1 T20I batter, are openers. Instead of Rishabh Pant, Nicholas Pooran has been designated as the team’s No. 3 batter and wicketkeeper. Aaron Jones, one of the standout performers for the USA in the World Cup, bats at fourth. Jones amassed 162 runs in 6 matches, including a blazing 94 in the opener – the second-highest individual score in the T20 World Cup so far.

Marcus Stoinis and Hardik Pandya are the two main all-rounders, batting at No. 5 and No. 6 respectively. In the ICC event, Hardik Pandya has been impressive, as he scored 139 runs and took 8 wickets in 7 matches. Rashid Khan was the team’s primary spinner and was selected by Cricket Australia as captain of the side.

Rashid Khan spearheaded Afghanistan’s remarkable run to the T20 World Cup semi-finals. They defeated powerhouses Australia and New Zealand. The leg-spinner was the team’s standout performer, taking 14 wickets in the tournament. Meanwhile, Rishad Hossain, is second spinner in the lineup. He outperformed Indian counterpart Kuldeep, claiming 14 wickets despite playing in just 4 matches compared to Kuldeep’s 10 wickets.

The pace attack was led by Fazalhaq Farooqi, who claimed 17 wickets during the tournament, and India’s Jasprit Bumrah. Anrich Nortje also featured in the team, while Arshdeep Singh did not make the cut. Bumrah finished second on the list of highest wicket-takers with 15 scalps.

Cricket Australia T20 World Cup XI

Rohit Sharma, Travis Head, Nicholas Pooran, Aaron Jones, Marcus Stoinis, Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan (C), Rishad Hossain, Anrich Nortje, Jasprit Bumrah and Fazalhaq Farooqi.