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Cummins, Starc & Hazlewood Likely to Play WI & NZ T20Is Ahead Of T20 World Cup 2024

image-lrlvazclCummins, Starc & Hazlewood [X.com]

Australia's head coach Andrew McDonald has hinted that the formidable pace trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood might be included in the upcoming T20I series against West Indies and New Zealand. These series are the only opportunities for Australia to play T20Is before the T20 World Cup in June.

Earlier, reports suggested that the senior pacers would be rested from the T20Is following their exclusion from the ODIs against West Indies in early February. However, considering their reduced workloads over the summer, they may feature in one or both of these T20I series. The selectors are set to meet on Monday to finalise the squads for the upcoming series.

McDonald suggested that there could be a mix of players in the T20Is, indicating the potential participation of Cummins, Starc, and Hazlewood. 

"We’ll give some thought to that. There’ll be some that may play, and there’ll be some that might not play. It’ll be different squads [for each series]. We’ll look to potentially be at full strength for the New Zealand series," McDonald said. 

"We’ve got six games before the World Cup. A lot of the World Cup planning is in place at the moment. We’ll try to be as close to full strength for the New Zealand series as possible. The West Indies series is slightly nuanced," he added.

As Australia gear up for the T20 World Cup 2024, the focus is on allowing their lethal pace trio to gain valuable match practice in the T20Is against West Indies and New Zealand. 

Having played crucial roles in Australia's triumph at the ODI World Cup 2023 and contributing to the Test series victories against Pakistan and West Indies, Cummins, Starc, and Hazlewood remain integral to the team's plans.

With six T20Is before the T20 World Cup, Australia is strategically planning to be close to full strength during the New Zealand series. This approach aligns with their preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup as they aim to field a potent and experienced squad for the tournament in June.