After losing the WTC final, Australia will be desperate to win the T20 World Cup next year. Mitchell Marsh and the team will want to do well in the tournament. On that note, here, we take a look at the list of three players Australia might want to groom for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
It is too risky to trust youngsters with the tournament so close. However, the WTC 2025 Final was a lesson, and Australia might want to go with some youth for the World Cup.
1) Cooper Connolly
Adam Zampa will be the lead spinner for the side. The pitches will demand an extra spinner, and Australia might not want to rely only on Glenn Maxwell. Ashton Agar might not be suitable for a No.7 role. Hence, the Aussies could go with Connolly, who has already played a couple of games for his nation. The management could devise a plan to extract four overs of spin from Maxwell and the young left-arm spinner.
2) Mitchell Owen is one of the players Australia might want to groom for the 2026 T20 World Cup
Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head will open the batting while Josh Inglis is likely to come in at No.3. Australia will prefer a few backups and in this regard, Owen, despite being an uncapped player, can be an asset. He can double up as the backup for Cameron Green, as well. Hence, Australia could have him on the flight to India.
3) Xavier Bartlett
The tall pacer is in good form and could travel with the team to India. Nathan Ellis is likely to be the backup pacer but if Australia needs something different, they could prefer the pacer. He can be a replacement for Pat Cummins in the future in the T20 format. Hence, he is on this list.
