Pat Cummins ruled out, Steve Smith misses selection

Dwarshuis has been a strong performer with the ball at franchise level, adding his batting force to the lower order, but is inexperienced at international level, having made just 19 appearances for Australia in two white-ball formats.

“With Pat needing more time to recover from his back injury, Ben is a ready replacement who offers dynamic fielding and late-order batting along with a left-arm pace option,” selector Tony Dodemaide said.

“We believe his ability to swing the ball at a good pace and smart variations will suit the conditions we expect and the overall make-up of the squad.”

The selectors did not grant Smith an 11th-hour recall despite him being top of the Sixers’ order after the Ashes.

Smith’s batting power has propelled the Sixers to the BBL final, but Australia remain at the top of the table with captain Mitch Marsh and Travis Head occupying the top two spots.

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Even Short’s ouster could not ensure an immediate return to the squad for Smith, who quit the 50-over format to give himself more time to play in T20 leagues around the world in his quest for a place in the 2028 Olympics.

“Steve is an outstanding player who has worked hard on his short-form game and delivered a great performance, coming out on top for the Sixers in the Big Bash,” Dodemaide said.

“The current T20 rankings have been very successful in this tournament, so we think we are well positioned in that area.

“We have serious discussions with Steve if a substitution is necessary and this has been communicated to him.”

Short was below his BBL best, averaging 28 at a strike rate of 132.7, leaving his position vulnerable. Renshaw’s versatility and red-hot form with the Brisbane Heat earned him the nod and selection in the team of the tournament.

“Mat [Renshaw] “Australia has impressed across all formats recently, including multiple roles in white-ball formats for the Queensland Bulls and Brisbane Heat,” Dodemaide said.

“With the top order settling in and spin-heavy conditions expected in the pool stages in Sri Lanka, we also feel Matt provides extra middle-order support as Tim David completes his return-to-play program early in the tournament.

“As a lefty [Renshaw] It also makes a difference in mid-range hits.

Pakistan seal series after Australia fail spin attempt

Pakistan took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match Twenty20 series against Australia after captain Salman Agha led by example and secured a comprehensive 90-run victory in the second match in Lahore on Saturday.

Opting to bat, Pakistan posted 198-5 after Salman (76) and Usman Khan (53) played breezy half-centuries.

The home team then unleashed five spinners who stifled the Australian batsmen, eventually leading them to 108 all out in 16 overs.

Australia arrived without many front-line players, but losing all 10 wickets to spinners will be a reality check for them ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup, which will be played in similar conditions in India and Sri Lanka.

Earlier, Matthew Kuhnemann dismissed Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan in the second over but Salman and Saim Ayub (23) stabilized the innings.

Babar Azam’s poor run continued as he fell to Adam Zampa for the second time in the series but Usman combined with Salman to prevent any batting collapse.

Shadab Khan hit an unbeaten 28 to take Pakistan close to 200.

Australia faltered early in their response, falling to 29-3 in the fifth over after losing captain Mitchell Marsh, fellow opener Travis Head and the dangerous Josh Inglis in quick succession.

Matt Renshaw, who was included in Australia’s T20 World Cup squad earlier on Saturday, made two as the tourists battled through their innings for 71-5.

Matt Short, who was removed from the World Cup squad to make way for Renshaw, scored an ambitious 27 points.

via Reuters