Australia on Wednesday (May 1) announced their 15-member squad for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, with Mitchell Marsh being named the skipper of the side.

Veteran campaigner Steve Smith is a notable absentee as the selectors have prioritized batters who can score runs at a brisk rate.

Another notable omission is the young batting sensation Jake Fraser-McGurk. Fraser-McGurk is going through a purple patch in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

Playing for Delhi Capitals, Fraser-McGurk has amassed 259 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 233.33, including three half-centuries.

Left-arm spinner Ashton Agar earned a recall despite not having played a T20I since the last T20 World Cup on Australian soil in 2022, while Marcus Stoinis, Tim David and Cameron Green joined Glenn Maxwell in the final squad as all-rounder options.

Selection chair George Bailey believes Australia have a well-balanced squad and is confident of a strong showing in the global showpiece tournament, slated to be held in the West Indies and USA from June 1 to June 29.

“This is an experienced squad with extensive World Cup experience that offers a variety of structures and covers the scenarios the panel believes will factor in the West Indies with the unique nature of the venues and our opponents," Bailey said.

“It’s great to have Ashton Agar back into the squad following a spate of unfortunate and untimely injuries. 

“We believe Ashton can play a critical role in this tournament along with Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Cam Green and Mitch Marsh in complementing our front-line attack options.

“The batting options available allow a tailored approach to each venue and opponent.”

Bailey admitted that the squad size of 15 meant many in-form players were unlucky to miss out on selection.

“Steve Smith, Matt Short, Jason Behrendorff, Aaron Hardie, Spencer Johnson and Xavier Bartlett were all part of long conversations, along with several others, including Jake Fraser-McGurk who is yet to play T20 International cricket but continues to impress and is developing rapidly," Bailey said.

“Being constrained to a squad of 15 for World Cups is always a challenge given the different scenarios and options we’d like to cover. 

“We will continue monitoring several players who have missed out on this preliminary squad and note that if we need to change this squad, we have the option to do so over the coming month in accordance with ICC regulations.

“Ultimately the balance of the final 15 needs to provide the best chance of being successful in this campaign.”

While Mitchell Marsh has been performing the role as interim T20I captain over the last 12 months, the upcoming T20 World Cup will be his first major tournament as leader.

"It's been an immense privilege to play for my country and now an even greater honour to lead the squad to a World Cup," Marsh said.

"We have had some strong success in recent times and I am hopeful that will continue in what looks like a wide-open tournament."

Australia will open their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against Oman in Barbados on June 5.

Australia Squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa