Australia has announced its squad for the upcoming T20I series against India, with Western Australian allrounder Aaron Hardie and Kane Richardson being called up as replacements. David Warner, who had an outstanding performance at the ODI World Cup, has been given a break from the series to focus on his retirement from Test cricket. The upcoming Pakistan series will be the final stage of his Test career, with him earmarking the SCG in early January for his retirement.

The squad includes seven players who featured during the World Cup plus Tanveer Sangha, who was a travelling reserve throughout. Matthew Wade will lead the side, with Steve Marsh being the favourite for the role on a permanent basis. There will also be a stand-in coach for the series, with Andre Borovec taking charge as Andrew McDonald returns home ahead of the summer.

The T20I squad includes Travis Head, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Jason Behrendorff, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa. The series acts as part of the build-up to next year’s T20 edition in West Indies and the USA. Australia currently has six more T20Is scheduled before that tournament with a pair of three-match series against West Indies and New Zealand in February.