Australia have named their preliminary 30-man squad for the Twenty20 World Championship, with a string of uncapped state players recognised

Cricinfo staff02-Jul-2007

Brett Lee could be back in the mix when Australia’s Twenty20 squad is chosen © Getty Images
Australia have named their preliminary 30-man squad for the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa, with a string of uncapped state players recognised. The list also includes Brett Lee and Shaun Tait, both of whom are recovering from injuries.The selectors aimed for a group that was specifically suited to Twenty20, meaning the dashing batsmen David Hussey, George Bailey, Luke Ronchi and Marcus North earned places. There was also a focus on allrounders, with Andrew McDonald, Luke Butterworth and Ashley Noffke hoping for their first international outings, along with the fast bowler Brendan Drew.”We believe we’ve picked a squad of 30 specifically for the game of Twenty20 cricket with a view to Australia becoming a force in this form of the game,” Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said. “Victoria and Tasmania have been dominant in the Twenty20 game domestically in the last 12 months and some of those who have performed well in that competition have been rewarded by being named in this squad.”Overall there were few surprises in the extended line-up, which predictably features all the members of Australia’s World Cup-winning squad except the retired Glenn McGrath. Most of the fringe players who have found a spot in Australia’s ODI team in the past year have been chosen, although Mark Cosgrove and Brett Dorey missed out.Of Australia’s 25 contracted players only Jason Gillespie, Chris Rogers, Stuart MacGill and Cullen Bailey were overlooked. The selectors are hopeful that Lee, who has been recovering from a serious ankle problem that kept him out of the World Cup, and Tait, who had elbow surgery last month, will be available.One of the most interesting inclusions was Butterworth, 23, the Tasmania allrounder who made his first Pura Cup century in the final against New South Wales, when he was named Man of the Match. Although his domestic Twenty20 career consists of two forgettable outings, Butterworth is a sharp medium-pace bowler and promising batsman and is rated highly by his state captain Ricky Ponting.Although there are unlikely to be any major changes to the squad that triumphed in the Caribbean, a few players have a realistic chance of breaking into the line-up. Cameron White and David Hussey have been battering county attacks in the last few months and are well suited to the format – White’s 55-ball Twenty20 century for Somerset last season is a record.Ben Hilfenhaus and James Hopes will also be seriously considered when the selectors choose their final 15-man squad in mid-July. Australia’s tournament opens with a match against Zimbabwe at Cape Town on September 12, followed by a group clash with England.Preliminary squad George Bailey, Nathan Bracken, Luke Butterworth, Stuart Clark, Michael Clarke, Dan Cullen, Brendan Drew, Adam Gilchrist, Brad Haddin, Shane Harwood, Matthew Hayden, Ben Hilfenhaus, Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg, James Hopes, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Phil Jaques, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Andrew McDonald, Ashley Noffke, Marcus North, Ricky Ponting, Luke Ronchi, Andrew Symonds, Shaun Tait, Adam Voges, Shane Watson, Cameron White.