Shane Warne picks his Australian World Cup squad and leaves out Usman Khawaja 

What's the story?

Former Australian captain Shane Warne has picked his 15-member Australian squad for the ICC World Cup 2019 but has left out in-form Usman Khawaja, which has come as a huge surprise for the fans.

In case you didn't know...

All the teams are gearing up for the World Cup squad selection as the ICC deadline to submit the team member list is just 14 days away. Australia are expected to announce the squad in a week, with plenty of the fans' attention being devoted to the top order as Steve Smith and David Warner have become available for selection again.

The defending champions are peaking at the right time, having defeated both India and Pakistan in recent bilateral series.

The heart of the matter

The Australian legend has picked his squad for the mega event, but has shockingly omitted Khawaja despite the fact that the latter has been in prime form recently. Warne chose D'Arcy Short instead of Khawaja in the team.

Apart form this strange selection the team is relatively on expected lines. Warne has included three openers - Short, Aaron Finch and David Warner, and for the middle order he has picked Steve Smith and Shaun Marsh.

The leg spinner has gone with three all-rounders - Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and the Indian series sensation Ashton Turner. He has picked Alex Carey for the wicketkeeping slot.

When it comes to the spin department, both Adam Zampa and the experienced Nathan Lyon get a place in Warne's World Cup squad.

The team also consists of a lethal bowling attack as he has included Pat Cummins, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jhye Richardson and Mitchell Starc. If Australia pick these four bowlers then it will be one of the best bowling attacks in the tournament.

Shane Warne’s squad: David Warner, D'Arcy Short, Aaron Finch, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson (if fit), Adam Zampa, Shaun Marsh, Nathan Lyon, Ashton Turner, Nathan Coulter-Nile.

What's next?

A few Australian players are currently playing in the IPL, but many of them opted out keeping the World Cup in mind. The defending champions will begin their World Cup campaign against Afghanistan on the 1st of June at Bristol.