Left-arm pacer Ben Dwarshuis and batter Matthew Renshaw come into Australia’s 15-player squad and selector Tony Dodemaide belives the pair can perform well during the tournament that commences in India and Sri Lanka on February 7.
“With Pat needing more time to recover from his back injury Ben is a ready replacement who offers a left-arm pace option as well as dynamic fielding and late-order hitting,” Dodemaide said.
“We believe his ability to swing the ball at good pace along with clever variations will be well suited to the conditions we expect and overall structure of the squad.
“Matt (Renshaw) has impressed in all formats of late, including in multiple roles in white ball formats for Australia, the Queensland Bulls and the Brisbane Heat.
“With the top order settled and spin heavy conditions expected in the pool stages in Sri Lanka, we also feel Matt provides extra middle order support, with Tim David completing his return to play program in the early phase of the tournament.
“As a left hander, he (Renshaw) also offers a point of difference to the middle order batting.”
