In a major twist before the Ashes, Australia has released Travis Head from its T20I squad against India to get ready for the Test series. The explosive left-handed batsman will miss the last two T20Is to play South Australia in a Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania in Hobart next week, his first first-class match since the tour of the West Indies in July. 

The decision apparently was left to Head, who decided to have productive practice in red-ball format heading into the Ashes. The 31-year-old has a key spot in Australia's T20I setup, but chose preparation in long format instead of limited overs cricket. The No. 5 spot in Australia's Test setup is critical and he will be a major player with his counter-attacking style in the middle order when the Ashes start.

Head is a player who is going through a lean period in white-ball cricket, as he has only scored a top score of 31 runs after hitting a brilliant 142 against South Africa during the month of August. On the ongoing tour to India, he has scored just 34 runs at an average of 17 in T20Is and 65 runs in three ODIs. He is likely to be replaced by either Matthew Short or Josh Philippe as an opening partner for Mitchell Marsh in the other two matches. 

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Hazlewood, Abbott, and Sangha Released for Domestic Duties as Australia Eye Strong Finish to T20I Series

Meanwhile, in the past day, senior players have been released from the squad to focus on their domestic commitments. Fast bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott will feature for New South Wales in their Sheffield Shield match against Victoria at the SCG. Hazlewood had already finished his two-match T20I involvement, but Abbott's exit will allow left-arm quick Ben Dwarshuis to return to the squad after recovering from a calf injury.

Leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha has also been given permission to play for NSW in the One-Day Cup before rejoining the national team for the fourth T20I on the Gold Coast. The T20I series is now tied at 1-1 after India claimed a five-wicket victory in Hobart, setting up an exciting conclusion to the last two games. 

Australia T20I Squad (for remaining matches): Mitchell Marsh (c), Matthew Wade, Tim David, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Short/Josh Philippe, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Tanveer Sangha, Jason Behrendorff.

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.