The Australian selectors refused to include batting dynamo Jake Fraser-McGurk for a T20 World Cup campaign that never reached the heights they had hoped, but a “drastic” change to the team is unlikely in the future, according to veteran Josh Hazlewood.
The fast bowler was one of 10 players aged over 30 in the 15-man squad, and the only certain change when the T20 squad next assembles is the absence of David Warner, who has officially retired from all international cricket. after Australia’s defeat by 24 runs. India ended their World Cup campaign.
Any faint hopes of advancing to the semi-finals were dashed with Afghanistan’s last-gasp victory over Bangladesh.
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At 33, Hazlewood has shown no signs of abandoning the shortest format, having played in all but one of Australia’s seven World Cup matches, being caught 1-14 in the loss to India that put their tournament in danger.
But knowing that the next chance to lift the trophy will come in 2026, Hazlewood said, in the immediate aftermath, there was no sign of a mass cleanup of players who didn’t get the job done in the Caribbean.
“They come around pretty quickly, the T20 World Cups, every two years,” he said.
“There may be a couple of changes but a lot of the guys are still playing franchise cricket if they don’t play for Australia so they are up for grabs.
“There are some class players among our 15, and we also have a couple on the bench. So you’d think it would be a really slow change. “I don’t think there’s anything drastic.”
Warner, who battled a hand problem in the run-up to the tournament, still managed 178 runs in his seven innings in the tournament. But he made just nine runs in his last two innings, finishing with just six in the fruitless run chase against India.
Warner goes down cheap in Australia’s final game? | 00:33
The decision to play him instead of Fraser-McGurk was controversial, but the decision to keep veteran Matthew Wade in the team was clearly even worse.
Wade, who had considered retiring before the 2022 World Cup, played ahead of Josh Inglis but contributed very little during the 2024 tournament.
His highest score was 17 not out against England, three not out, 5 not out against Afghanistan, 4 not out against Scotland and 1 against India.
AAP journalist Oliver Caffrey described his choice over Inglis as an “all-time howler”.
The Australian team has tasted life without Warner in both the Test and ODI formats, but while Hazlewood said the veteran would be missed, it was important for the Aussies to “move on”.
But not before celebrating an “incredible” career.
“He will definitely be missed throughout the group, on and off the field. He has had an incredible career across all formats,” Hazlewood said.
“We have had Test cricket and ODI cricket and now T20. You’ve gotten a little used to it in New Zealand (not having Warner there).
“It’s always different when you lose a player who’s been there for so long. “We will move forward and move forward.”
