Nikhil Chaudhary and Joel Davis will make their international debut in Australia’s T20I series opener against Bangladesh, with captain Mitch Marsh also returning to the national side.
Marsh lost the toss and Bangladesh chose to bat first in Chattogram on Wednesday in the first of three T20 matches in the south-eastern port city, with the tourists looking to bounce back from a 1-2 ODI series defeat to Bangladesh last week.
Bangladesh XI: Soumya Sarkar, Tanzeed Hasan Tamim, Saif Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon (wk), Tauheed Hridayoy (captain), Shamim Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abdul Ghaffar Saqlain, Shoriful Islam
Australia XI: Mitch Marsh (captain), Josh Inglis (wk), Cooper Connolly, Matt Renshaw, Tim David, Nikhil Chaudhary, Joel Davis, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson
Australia’s men’s T20 captain, returning from an ankle injury suffered at the end of the Indian Premier League season last month, confirmed he will open the batting alongside Josh Inglis, who stood in as captain during consecutive ODI series defeats, with the 50-over side also losing 1-2 to Pakistan earlier this month.
Although they have never opened together in T20 Internationals, Marsh and Inglis reunited at the top of the order after a successful union for Lucknow Super Giants in this year’s IPL, in which they averaged 87.5 in four innings as the first-wicket pair.
Red-hot Cooper Connolly, fresh from his maiden international century in last Sunday’s third ODI, will follow him at No. 3, the position where he enjoyed a stellar IPL campaign of 491 runs at an average of 44.63 for Punjab Kings.
Australia’s T20 team is looking to the future with four new faces in the eleven from their last T20 International, when they were eliminated from the group stage of the Men’s T20 World Cup for the first time in 17 years.
Along with both debutants, Connolly has been recalled from the previous match against Oman, while left-arm fast bowler Spencer Johnson is playing his first international match in 16 months after overcoming a stress fracture in his back.
Cameron Green (managed) and Travis Head (personal leave) are missing for this series as they begin their preparations for the August Test series against Bangladesh, while veterans Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis were sidelined.
Meanwhile, Choudhary has become the first Indian-origin man to play for Australia in more than 60 years. While several players of Indian origin, including Gurinder Sandhu and Tanvir Sangha, have worn the green and gold, not since the 1960s (when Gujarat-born leg spinner Rex Sellers, who played in the 1964 Calcutta Test) has an individual of Indian origin played for the national team.
Born in Pune and adopted by Australian parents, Lisa Sthalekar was the star of the Australia women’s team in the 2000s.
Chaudhary, a leg-spinner all-rounder who moved to Queensland during the Covid pandemic, has emerged as a key cog in the Hobart Hurricanes over the past three BBL seasons.
Davies, who presents Australian men’s T20I cap number 118, has also earned his international opportunity through impressive Big Bash performances for the Sydney Sixers, with the left-arm finger-spinning all-rounder being the most economical bowler (minimum 20 overs) last season, while also taking the second-most wickets (14) by a spinner behind Connolly (15) in BBL|15.
Powerful ball-striker Choudhary (cap number 117) is listed at No. 6 behind Hurricanes teammate Tim David, while Davies is at seventh.
Like the ODI series against Bangladesh, the visitors have chosen three specialist fast players with Johnson in Xavier Bartlett and Nathan Ellis, while star leg spinner Adam Zampa is leading the attack.
qantas tour of bangladesh 2026
Australia ODI team: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnman, Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Renshaw, Tanvir Sangha, Liam Scott, Adam Zampa.
June 9: 1st ODI: Bangladesh won by 86 runs (DLS method)
June 11: 2nd ODI: Bangladesh won by five wickets (DLS method)
June 14: Third ODI: Australia won by one wicket
Australia T20I team: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Nikhil Chaudhary, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Joel Davis, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnman, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Adam Zampa.
17th June: 1st T20I, Bir Shrestho Flt Lt Matiur Rahman Stadium, Chattogram, 6pm (AEST).
19 June: 2nd T20I, Bir Shrestho Flt Lt Matiur Rahman Stadium, Chattogram, 6pm (AEST).
June 21st: 3rd T20I, Bir Shrestho Flt Lt Matiur Rahman Stadium, Chattogram, 6pm (AEST).
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