Former Australian captain and current chairman of selectors George Bailey has explained that the T20 international futures of Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Steven Smith remain open despite the trio being dropped from Australia’s reshuffled squad for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh.
Even after being dropped from the 16-man squad for the three-match T20I series scheduled for June 17, 19 and 21, Bailey clarified that the senior players have not been ruled out of the tournament permanently.
Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have been rested as Australia manage workloads ahead of a demanding Test schedule over the next two years.
The absence of Maxwell, Stoinis and Smith has drawn attention given their long-standing roles in Australia’s white-ball set-up, including their involvement in the 2021 T20 World Cup triumph.
All three featured in Australia’s disappointing T20 World Cup campaign earlier this year, while Smith returned to form after a long absence from T20Is from February 2024 to replace a late injury.
Bailey stressed that the omissions were not a reflection of a permanent exclusion, but part of a wider strategy to explore the squad’s depth following the squad’s poor World Cup performance.
“It’s not the end of the road,” Bailey said. “I’m not giving it up personally, but I understand they’re not in the squad. But certainly, I think it’s a good opportunity to see some different players, given where we are in the T20s cycle and in the context of our World Cup results.”
“I don’t take for granted that every time we take a team or a team, we win and the expectation and our expectation is that those players will perform. So I think it’s a very important period for that T20 team to start building different players in different roles.
“But that’s not to say that this might be the last we see of those three.”
While Stoinis continues to be active in franchise cricket, including strong performances for the Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League, Maxwell has struggled for consistency in recent T20s.
Smith, meanwhile, remains committed to featuring in Australia’s T20 programs and continues to operate in franchise leagues alongside his commitments in other formats.
Squad changes have opened up opportunities for emerging talent, with Aaron Hardy returning after an impressive PSL campaign and Joel Davies earning a first international call-up following standout performances in the Big Bash League.
Bailey praised the development trajectory, particularly highlighting Davies’ potential as a left-arm spinner in Australia’s emerging white-ball system.
“I think there’s a lot of talent out there,” Bailey said. “I’ve started to see the benefits of that in some white-ball performances with New South Wales and this year’s Big Bash. He’s also a left-arm spinner. We’ve talked at length about its importance and its growth across the country, and we’ll see a bit of that as well.”
Australia squad for Bangladesh T20: Mitchell Marsh (caught), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardy, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhneman, Riley Meredith, Josh Phillippe, Matthew Adam Renshaw.