Spin and Surprises: Australia's Bold T20 World Cup Squad

Australian selectors have unveiled a spin-heavy squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka and India, omitting a left-arm paceman following Mitchell Starc's retirement. Newcomer Cooper Connolly was surprisingly included, as the team aims to defend their title starting February 11 against Ireland.

In a decisive move, Australian selectors have opted for a spin-centric strategy as they announced their squad for the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup hosted in Sri Lanka and India. Notably, they chose not to include a left-arm paceman in the lineup following Mitchell Starc's retirement from the format late last year.

This bold decision saw the surprising addition of Cooper Connolly, a player who has not participated in the team's last dozen T20 Internationals. Starc, a staple in five of the last six ICC T20 events, has left a void in the bowling unit, making way for new talent as Australia looks to repeat their 2021 championship success.

Australia will commence their campaign on February 11, facing Ireland in Colombo, followed by matches against Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, and Oman. Squad alterations remain possible until January 31 as the team prepares for potential Super Eights outings in India.

(With inputs from agencies.)