New Delhi, February 18 – Former Australian great Glenn McGrath has questioned the selection of all-rounder Cameron Green over Steve Smith in the squad after Australia suffered a humiliating exit from the 2026 T20 World Cup in the group stage.
Green was preferred due to his all-around abilities, but he failed with the bat, scoring only 24 runs in three matches. Green scored 21 runs in the first match, but was dismissed for a duck and three in the two biggest games. He has only bowled seven deliveries in Australia’s three matches so far, which has raised questions about his selection.
"If that's the case, then what the selectors are saying is that he's a better player than Steve Smith. If he's not bowling, I just can't see how he justifies a spot in that team," McGrath was quoted by the Sunday Morning Herald.
Australia entered the tournament as the favorites, but injury problems before the start of the tournament and poor performance in the group stage matches led to their early exit. After winning their first match against Ireland, the 2021 champions lost back-to-back matches against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, and the former champions ultimately missed out after Zimbabwe secured key points in their match against Ireland.
Commenting on the early exit, McGrath said that the aura of the Australian team has gone, and the result is not surprising at all. "We said at the start of this World Cup that we were concerned about Australia. All of a sudden, the aura of that Australian team is no longer there when other teams play against them. Unfortunately, it's not surprising," he said.
Former Australian star Jason Gillespie also questioned the selections of Green and Cooper Connolly in the team after a poor performance in the World Cup.
"Cooper Connolly, and I think to a lesser extent, Cameron Green, are not repaying the trust that has been given to them," he said.
Australia will play their last match in the T20 World Cup on Friday when they face Oman at the Pallekele International Stadium in Sri Lanka.
