Australia head coach Andrew McDonald has said that Steve Smith is firmly in their plans for the upcoming T20 World Cup in June as well. However, Steve Smith hasn’t been at his best in T20I cricket for quite some time now. The veteran did not find a place in the playing XI for the opening T20I against New Zealand in Wellington due to his low strike rate as well.
“If he wasn’t in our thinking then he wouldn’t be on the plane over here. We’re playing him for a reason. He’ll get some opportunity here, he had some opportunities in India at the back end of a World Cup and we were planning for him to play in South Africa as well going as far back as August-September (last year), but he unfortunately had a wrist injury at the time, so he missed those three one-dayers. But he’s definitely in the thoughts,” McDonald was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
However, Steve Smith scored his most recent T20I half-century against India in Vishakhapatnam after the ODI World Cup as well. With 1079 runs in 65 T20Is, he has an average of only 25.69. McDonald also revealed that Australia are yet to decide their 15 players for the 2024 T20 World Cup and that the upcoming IPL will also help them choose the final squad.
“There’s 20 players that are in our thinking, we’re not settled in terms of the final 15 at this stage and that’s why these games are really important. And we’ve got a lot of our players in IPL as well, so we get another look at what certain players are doing in that competition which is probably the biggest connection to international cricket. I think it’s the best competition in the world, in terms of domestic format,” he again stated.
Meanwhile, the stunning batter Tim David played an incredible cameo for Australia against New Zealand to help them win a thrilling encounter on the final ball in the first T20I of the series in Wellington on Wednesday as well. David smashed 31 runs off just 10 balls and head coach Andrew McDonald was thrilled to see him batting like this.
Speaking to the reporters, here’s what Andrew McDonald had to say about Tim David: “It’s powerful hitting, it’s something different. We’ve seen some great death hitters over time and sometimes in opposition teams as well. It’s a scary proposition when he walks to the crease for any opposition bowlers. I think the journey and the failures along the way build the player you see out there today.”
“It takes a long journey. I think any time you’re in those finishing roles, it’s littered with failure across that journey. To be able to come through and out the other side, and when you get that opportunity as well to be in those situations and then take the opportunity, there’s a lot of mental strength to it,” he concluded.
