David Warner, one of Australia’s most successful and dynamic cricket players, has been given a much-needed break after the ODI World Cup. The upcoming T20I series against India will mark the final stage of his Test career, with Warner having earmarked the SCG in early January for his retirement from the format.

In his place, Western Australia allrounder Aaron Hardie has been called up to the squad. Hardie made his debut in South Africa earlier this year and is considered a promising young talent for Australia’s future. He joins a group of multiformat players who will skip the five-match series ahead of the home summer which starts with the first Test against Pakistan on December 14.

Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc are also heading home along with allrounders Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh. Warner had an outstanding World Cup where he scored 535 runs at 48.63. The upcoming Pakistan series will be a great opportunity for Hardie to prove himself at the international level and make a name for himself in Australian cricket history.

The series acts as part of the build-up to next year’s T20 edition in West Indies and the USA, with Australia currently having six more T20Is scheduled before that tournament. The squad now includes seven players who featured during the World Cup plus Tanveer Sangha who was a travelling reserve throughout.

The side will be led by Matthew Wade although Marsh, who captained them to a 3-0 victory against South Africa in September, is considered a strong contender for the role on a permanent basis. There will also be a stand-in coach for the series with Andre Borovec taking charge as Andrew McDonald returns home ahead of the summer.

The T20I squad includes Matthew Wade (capt), Travis Head, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Jason Behrendorff, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa.