Steven Smith

Steven Smith, an all time great for Australia, has been in doubt for the T20I side in recent times. With Smith lacking fire-power and considering Mitchell Marsh’s success at number three, Steve Smith was phased out for Tim David, in a bid to add more fire power. In four games at the BBL so far though, Steve Smith has added another point to the debate over his spot in the T20 side. As an opener, he came in for four games, and is the ninth leading run-scorer in the current season, with them most sixes in the tournament and two centuries. He now gave himself a case to make the squad as an opener, and could find himself back with Aaron Finch’s future in the Australian team uncertain.

Matthew Short

Matthew Short from the Adelaide Strikers had his moments in the tournament. With Chris Lynn as his partner, he held his own and also provided one of the best knocks in the BBL with a century to chase down 230. His style of play makes him an asset in T20 Cricket. As an opener he does not take too long to get underway. With the ball too, Matthew Short is very handy. He can chip in with a few overs, and is very useful in the powerplay. On the field too, Short has taken some sharp catches, and with leadership credentials to add too, he has enough on his resume to be considered by the selectors.

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Aaron Hardie

Aaron Hardie came into this season on the back of some incredible performances in the Sheffield Shield. He has been a part of the Perth Scorchers for a while and finally got a decent run in the eleven. Replacing Mitchell Marsh, Aaron Hardie started at 6, and performed very well. He was promoted to three later on and continued his good season. Due to injury concerns, he did not bowl too much, but can be a handy bowler on his day.

Josh Inglis

Josh Inglis is another talent who has been on the Australian team fringes for a long time. He missed out on the T20 World Cup with a freakish injury but came back quickly to prove his worth as a middle-order batter. He can open the batting, come up with flashy shots in the middle-order and is a very good wicket-keeper, making him a really good candidate for the wicket-keeper spot after Matthew Wade retires.

Sean Abbott

Sean Abbott is a BBL Champion. He has some incredible numbers in the tournament but always ends up behind the pecking order when it comes to the Australian team. He is still on and around the fringes for the white-ball side, and this season has been as good as any for him. With the big three likely to have their workload managed, Sean Abbott could finally see opportunities come his way in the coming days.

Paddy Dooley

Paddy Dooley with his unique action and leg-spin became a surprise trump card for the Hobart Hurricanes. With 19 wickets in 10 games, he became their go to bowler and is now a massive option for the T20 World Cup which will be played in the West Indies, where the pitches are known to be slow and low.