Australia have named 14 players for five T20Is against England, starting at the MCG on Saturday 21 November, and the group looks very different from the one picked for the ODIs that come first. Only six names appear in both squads. Mitchell Marsh captains both. Two wicketkeeper-batters, Sam Harper and Lachlan Shaw, are in an Australian squad for the first time, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Mitchell Owen are back, and several of the usual white-ball names are missing. Here is what has been confirmed, what it might mean, and what to check before fantasy lock.
What the announcement confirms
The squad is Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Mahli Beardman, Nikhil Chaudhary, Tim David, Joel Davies, Jack Edwards, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sam Harper, Spencer Johnson, Mitchell Owen, Lachlan Shaw and Adam Zampa. Comparing it with the 14-player ODI squad gives a clear split:
| Group | Players | Count |
|---|---|---|
| In both squads | Marsh, Bartlett, Beardman, Edwards, Johnson, Zampa | 6 |
| T20I squad only | Chaudhary, David, Davies, Ellis, Fraser-McGurk, Harper, Owen, Shaw | 8 |
| ODI squad only | Carey, Connolly, Green, Head, Inglis, Peake, Renshaw, Scott | 8 |
The sums check out: 6 + 8 = 14 for the T20Is and 6 + 8 = 14 for the ODIs. Reports give several reasons for the shape of the group. Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are rested, and Mitchell Starc is not selected and has retired from T20Is. Several reports describe the absences of Travis Head, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis and Cooper Connolly from the T20I leg as workload management after long tours, ahead of a heavy Test schedule that includes a home series against New Zealand and a tour of India. One report says Aaron Hardie was left out because he is not yet fully fit after a shoulder injury; we have only seen that in one place. Nathan Ellis is out of the ODIs with a side strain but is in the T20I squad.
Fraser-McGurk returns after last playing for Australia in July 2025, according to reports, and one account says Owen last played a T20I in February 2026. Sources differ on some other details, for example whether Mahli Beardman has already played a T20I, so we have left that out.
DREM analysis: three questions
This section is editorial opinion and not confirmed fact.
Who keeps wicket? Harper and Shaw are both described as wicketkeeper-batters, and Josh Inglis is not in the T20I squad. That leaves two players with no international caps competing for one place, so the first XI sheet will be the only real answer. Reports say they are seen as ahead of Josh Philippe in the pecking order, which tells us who the selectors see as next in line but not who plays.
Where does the power come from? Fraser-McGurk, Owen and Tim David are all in, so the squad has plenty of batting options to choose from. A July 2024 cricket.com.au report expected Fraser-McGurk to take over from David Warner at the top of the order, but that was more than two years ago, so do not assume the batting order. Where those three bat, and whether Marsh opens or comes in later, is something only the team sheets will show.
How deep is the bowling? The pace names are Bartlett, Ellis, Johnson and Beardman, with Zampa the one frontline spinner we can confirm. We have not confirmed the bowling roles of Chaudhary, Davies or Edwards, so we do not count them as options. With Cummins, Hazlewood and Starc away, the attack is untested as a unit, and Ellis’s side strain is worth watching until he is on the field.
England’s side
For a fuller look, see our England T20I squad analysis. England name 16 players for the T20Is under Harry Brook: Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, James Coles, Jordan Cox, Henry Crocombe, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Aneurin Donald, Eddie Jack, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Thomas Rew, Phil Salt and Luke Wood, plus Brook. Bethell is back from a knee injury and Salt from a quad injury, Wood is recalled, and Jack and Rew are new call-ups; Rew is 18. Jos Buttler is out while he recovers from hamstring surgery. Jofra Archer is in the ODI squad but not the T20I one. England also play a warm-up against a Western Australia XI at the WACA on 7 November. The last time England toured for a white-ball series, in late 2022, they won the T20I series 2–0.
Venues and timing
Listed local start times are 7:15 pm in Melbourne, 6:15 pm on the Gold Coast, 6:15 pm in Brisbane, 7:15 pm in Sydney and 7:15 pm in Canberra, from a Wisden fixture list published in March; confirm them in the official match centre. We have not seen pitch or weather reports for any venue yet, and the squads can change before 21 November.
Fantasy checks before lock
These are checks, not picks, and nothing here promises points.
- Wait for the XI. Eight of the 14 players are T20I-only names, so the XI may look quite different from the ODI side.
- Check the gloves. If your contest has a wicketkeeper slot, confirm which of Harper or Shaw is playing.
- Check roles. Batting position and bowling overs matter more than reputation, so confirm both in the XI.
- Watch fitness news. Ellis’s side strain and the ODI series can change the T20I group.
- Read each venue. The five grounds differ; our pitch guide, form guide and captain guide explain how to read conditions, form and roles. Contest rules vary by platform.
This is an Australian T20I squad built around the calendar rather than the opposition. The selectors have kept their Test players fresh and given a first look to wicketkeepers and power-hitters, so the series may say more about who Australia trust next than about who wins it. For anyone building a team, the useful questions are simple: who keeps, who opens, and who bowls the overs that Cummins, Hazlewood and Starc usually take.
Quick questions
When do the T20Is start?
Saturday 21 November 2026 at the MCG in Melbourne, followed by matches on 24 and 27 November, then 29 November and 2 December.
Who captains Australia?
Mitchell Marsh leads both the ODI and T20I squads.
Who is new or back in the T20I squad?
Sam Harper and Lachlan Shaw are named for the first time, and Jake Fraser-McGurk and Mitchell Owen return.
Who is missing?
Cummins and Hazlewood are rested, Starc has retired from T20Is, and Head, Inglis, Green and Connolly are in the ODI squad but not the T20I one.
Is this fantasy advice?
No. It lists things to check. Squads and conditions can change, and contest rules vary by platform.
For more context, see our India v New Zealand series preview and the match centre.
Sources
Squads and absences: The Sports Encounter, SportsTak, Cricket Times, Outlook India and The Sunday Guardian. England squads and warm-up: Heart. Fixtures, start times and the 2022 result: Wisden, cross-checked with Wikipedia. Fraser-McGurk in 2024: cricket.com.au.