Cricket
T20 World Cup 2024: Chief selector and head coach feature in Australia’s playing XI during the warm-up match against Namibia
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Australia and Namibia faced off in the sixth warm-up match ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024 at Trinidad’s Queen’s Park Oval on Tuesday. Namibia, batting first after being asked to do so, posted a below-par total of 119 runs, losing 9 wickets in their allotted 20 overs, largely due to impressive spells from Adam Zampa (4-0-25-3) and Josh Hazlewood (4-3-5-2). In response, Mitchell Marsh‘s team chased down the target in just 10 overs with seven wickets in hand. David Warner‘s unbeaten knock of 54 runs off 21 balls steered his team to victory.
An unusual moment in the game occurred when the Australian team had to include retired players in their playing XI due to the absence of their main players.
George Bailey and Andrew McDonald take on the field against Namibia
Australia’s World Cup squad currently comprises only nine out of the designated 15 members, as Travis Head, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, and Marcus Stoinis opted to take a break following their participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
Consequently, head coach Andrew McDonald, along with assistants Brad Hodge and Andre Borovec, as well as chief selector George Bailey, had to step in as substitute fielders during the match to fulfil the team’s required number. These retired cricketing legends were spotted wearing unmarked shirts as they took to the field during the game.
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Josh Hazlewood opens up on playing with 9 players in the match
Hazlewood, who displayed remarkable bowling prowess during the match, came to speak following the team’s victory. The ace pacer highlighted that despite missing many of their key players, it was essential for the remaining team members to participate in the warm-up match to prepare for the upcoming ICC tournament. He also stressed that it was unusual for Australia to have many bowlers returning after a long break, underscoring the significance of this game as matches provide better preparation than mere training sessions.
“Obviously, we didn’t have a full quota of players but the guys who played, probably a few of us needed to coming off a big layoff. I know a number of the bowlers were coming off a long break, which is pretty unusual in our system, but it’s good to get out there. Playing is always different from training,” said Hazlewood, as quoted by Associated Press.
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