T20 World Cup 2021: Australia's strongest predicted playing XI for the tournament

3. Steve Smith

Many questions have been raised over Steve Smith’s prowess as a T20 batsman in the last few months. This is majorly because the former Aussie skipper hasn’t done much in the format but the team management must persist with him if he’s fit and available. Smith can anchor the innings in the middle overs alongside maintain a healthy strike rate.

Moreover, the Aussie batsman has a wide range of shots which allows him to send the ball anywhere on the ground. If that’s not enough, Smith can also contribute with his occasional leg-spin bowling and his fielding skills don’t require any mentioning. These factors must be enough for the team management to name Smith in the final 11.

Notably, the right-handed batsman led Australia in the last edition of the tournament in 2016. He played a couple of brilliant knocks in the competition and won’t mind replicating his heroics again. However, Smith’s participation would be subjected to his fitness. It remains to see been whether he recovers from his elbow injury ahead of the T20 World Cup.