T20 World Cup 2024: 'IPL Effect' - 9-Man Australia Forced to Use Coaches as Fielders in Warm Up Win Against Namibia

Short-handed Australia were forced to use members of the coaching staff as fielders in their first T20 World Cup 2024 warm up match against Namibia at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago on Wednesday (May 29).

With six players missing due to an extended break following their participation in the bygone Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 and injury issues, the 2021 champions looked beyond their bench to fill the 11 members required for fielding in the practice match.

Travis Head, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green and Marcus Stoinis were the six players who missed the warm-up match as they were part of IPL 2024. Meanwhile, the reserves Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matthew Short also missed the game.

Taking the field to fill in the 11 were head coach Andrew McDonald, chief selector George Bailey, assistant coach Andre Borovec and batting coach Brad Hodge. While Bailey and Borovec took the field initially, McDonald and Hodge joined them later when two regulars needed rest.

Meanwhile, the other IPL stars Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Wade, David Warner and skipper Mitchell Marsh, who had little game-time in the tournament, featured for Australia in the practice match.

Despite featuring only 9 men from their 15-member squad, Australia defeated Namibia by 7 wickets in the T20 World Cup 2024 warm up match in Port of Spain on Tuesday (May 28) night.

After Josh Hazlewood (2 for 5) and Adam Zampa (3 for 25) helped restrict Namibia to 119, Warner, who was coming in on the back of an average IPL, made light-work of the run chase by scoring an unbeaten 54 off 21 balls.

Marsh, who is recovering from a hamstring issue, scored 18 off 14 balls before a mix up with Warner resulted in a run out. Tim David also contributed with a 16-ball 23, while Wade saw Australia home alongside Warner with an unbeaten 12 off 5 balls.

Australia will next face T20 World Cup 2024 co-hosts West Indies in their second and final warm up match on Thursday (May 30) at the same venue in Port of Spain before the tournament proper begins later in the weekend.

Australia, who are in Group B with defending champions England, Namibia, Scotland and Oman, will hope the players on the extended break after IPL 2024 will be available for their group stage opener against Oman on June 6.