Australian players in T20 Blast 2021: A total of seven Australian cricketers are representing various clubs in Vitality T20 Blast 2021.
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Lancashire hosting Derbyshire at Old Trafford right now has kick-started the 19th season of T20 Blast. In addition to this match, England’s prestigious T20 competition will also witness three more matches tonight.
Considering how a lot of multi-format English players are not part of the current Test squad, expect the first few rounds of T20 Blast 2021 to be a star-studded affairs as these top-notch names will hit the ground running ahead of white-ball series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
How many Australian players are playing in Vitality T20 Blast 2021?
Apart from the English players, T20 Blast also relishes due to the presence of numerous overseas players from several countries. As far as Australia is concerned, a total of seven Australian cricketers will be playing in the ongoing season in England.
Nottinghamshire Outlaws captain Daniel Christian, who had led them to a title victory last season, is missing this season after being recalled into the Australian white-ball team after four years.
Ben Dwarshuis (Worcestershire)
Uncapped Australia fast bowler Ben Dwarshius is all set to make his T20 Blast debut when Worcestershire will host Nottinghamshire in a couple of hours time in Worcester.
Having picked 24 wickets in 13 matches at an average and strike rate of 16.79 and 11.3 respectively for defending champions Sydney Sixers, left-armer Dwarshius was the second-highest wicket-taker in Big Bash League 2020-21 earlier this year.
Despite playing 69 T20s, it will be for the first time that Dwarshius will be playing a match in this format for any team other than Sixers. It is worth mentioning that Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) had bought Dwarshius for INR 1.8 crore in IPL 2018 but didn’t give him a match due to the presence of overseas bowlers such as Andrew Tye and Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Chris Green (Middlesex)
Much like Dwarshius, uncapped Australia spinner Chris Green is another T20 specialist who has played plentiful T20s but only a handful of List A matches. Green, who has had stints around the globe for Sydney Thunder, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Central Hinds, Multan Sultans and Kolkata Knight Riders, will be playing only his second season in T20 Blast.
It is worth mentioning that the off-spinner had made his T20 Blast debut for Warwickshire Bears in 2019. In six T20s for Bears, Green’s five wickets had come at an average of 29, an economy rate of 6.69 and a strike rate of 26. However, Green now appears set to play his first match for Middlesex under Steven Finn.
Travis Head (Sussex)
Australia batsman Travis Head, who has played 77 matches across formats at the highest level, has returned for his third T20 Blast season. Having represented Yorkshire and Worcestershire in 2016 and 2018 respectively, Head will be making his debut for Sussex this season.
Head, who leads Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League, has scored 233 runs in eight T20 Blast innings at an average and strike rate of 33.29 and 139.52 respectively.
Josh Inglis (Leicestershire)
Another uncapped Australian player, Perth Scorchers wicket-keeper batsman will get his first taste of the T20 Blast this year. It was last month that former Australia captain Ricky Ponting had advocated for Australia trying out Inglis in T20Is before the ICC T20 World Cup 2021.
Inglis, who didn’t let a demotion in the batting order affect his form in BBL 2020-21, was among the top run-scorers amassing 413 runs at an average and strike rate of 34.41 and 140 respectively with the help of three half-centuries. Overall, in his 41-match T20 career, Inglis’ 941 runs have come at 29.40 and 143.44 respectively including eight half-centuries.
Marnus Labuschagne (Glamorgan)
Much like Head, Australia batsman Marnus Labuschagne will also be converting his County Championship 2021 stint into a T20 Blast gig this season.
ALSO WATCH: Marnus Labuschagne bowls bouncer in Lancashire vs Glamorgan match
Having represented Australia in 18 Tests and 13 ODIs, Labuschagne had most recently talked about doubling his T20 matches via T20 Blast 2021 as all his 16 T20s have come for Brisbane Heat.
Not part of Australia’s white-ball squad for the tour of West Indies, Labuschagne will look to make the most of his stay in England to press for a T20I debut especially with a T20 World Cup to be played later this year.
D’Arcy Short (Hampshire)
Having last played at the highest level during India’s tour of Australia last year, D’Arcy Short is another of those Australian batsmen who will be taking every T20 opportunity as a platform to stage a comeback into the national side.
Short, who had made his Blast debut for Durham Dynamos in 2019, will be making his Hampshire debut this season. In his maiden season, Short had scored 483 runs in 12 innings at an average and strike rate of 43.91 and 139.60 respectively which also comprised of four half-centuries.
Daniel Worrall (Gloucestershire)
Fast bowler Daniel Worrall, who had played three ODIs for Australia in 2016, will also be making his Blast debut for Gloucestershire this year. The 29-year old right-arm bowler had also participated in County Championship 2021.
In 44 BBL matches during his seven-year old career, Worrall has picked 37 wickets at an economy and strike rate of 8.06 and 23.40 respectively. The Adelaide Strikers pacer would be hoping to leave a mark in his first T20 league outside of the BBL.
