Australia announce T20I squad for Pakistan tour; Finch named captain

Australia have named their 14-man squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Pakistan in the UAE. The team will be led by Aaron Finch and the duo of Mitch Marsh and Alex Carey will be the joint vice-captains of the team. The T20I series against Pakistan begins on 24 October right after the conclusion of the two Tests.

Chris Lynn has recovered from a shoulder complaint and is back in the squad along with all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, who was overlooked for the Test side. There are also a couple of surprises as Ben McDermott could make his international debut after securing a spot in the squad. Nathan Lyon could also play his first T20I since January 2016 having made the cut as well.

Speaking about the reason for having joint vice-captains, Australian coach Justin Langer said: "As we outlined when he was selected as joint Test vice-captain last week, Mitch has experience captaining Australia A and WA, and he’s an extremely popular member of the team. He’s a very talented and humble young man who leads through his actions and shows genuine care for his teammates.

“Alex has great leadership qualities, and again we were really impressed with the way he presented to the interview panel. He already knows the role having held the vice-captaincy in the recent tour of Zimbabwe, and as a wicketkeeper, he has eyes behind the stumps which we believe is extremely beneficial to the team. He’s an elite professional who also backs up his words through his actions.

Langer was also full of praise for Finch.

“Aaron has already captained Australia in the recent T20s we played in Zimbabwe, and I’ve been extremely impressed with his impact on the Test squad over here in the UAE. We know he’s an exceptional player, and he’s arguably the most in-form T20 player in the world at the moment.", he added.

Australia's T20I Squad: Aaron Finch (c), Mitch Marsh (vc), Alex Carey (vc), Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Darcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitch Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.