Bailey leaves door open for Australian youngsters at T20 World Cup

The Aussies named a 23-player list that will receive national contracts for the 2025/26 season on Tuesday, with all-rounder Aaron Hardie, pacer Sean Abbott and spinner Todd Murphy the unlucky trio to miss out and youngsters Cooper Connolly and Jake Fraser-McGurk also failing to earn a deal.

Connolly got a taste of it when making his Test and ODI debut for Australia in recent months, while Fraser-McGurk is currently in the Indian Premier League, showcasing his capabilities with the Delhi Capitals on the big stage.

WATCH: Jake Fraser-McGurk's blistering 84 at the U19 World Cup 2020

While the duo may appear to be on the sidelines ahead of next year's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, Bailey admitted there was still plenty of time for players to win selection for the 20-over showcase in 2026.

“I think it's been a really exciting eight months for him [Cooper Connolly], going back to being picked on the UK white-ball tour right through the summer. To have debuted across all three formats,” Bailey said in the virtual press conference after the announcement of the contract list.

“I think he's an incredibly exciting talent. He's probably in the same boat a little bit as the three guys that we mentioned. He's been unlucky in not getting contracts. I think he's certainly going to be around conversations for squads, tours and games throughout the next 12 months.

“But just as ever, it's a challenge to fit everyone on but not to say that still not incredibly excited about what he's achieved over the last 12 months and where we think his career and his cricket can continue to develop.”

WATCH: Cooper Connolly takes 3/17 against West Indies at the U19 World Cup 2022

Despite some players missing out on the contract list, Bailey emphasized that opportunities will remain plentiful, given Australia's packed cricketing schedule ahead, which includes the next cycle of the World Test Championship, the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup, and the 2027 Men's Cricket World Cup.

"It's always an important focus [to pick the players for the contract list]," Bailey added. "I think Test cricket is a really big priority. Despite only having the six ODIs this year that leads into an ODI World Cup towards the back end of 2027 as well. So we will certainly be using those one-day games to continue and start to focus on what that squad might start to look like by 2027.

"I think any time we have had a T20 World Cup in those big years of bunches of games, we've used a broad range of players. I envisage it is probably going to be similar this year.

"Just depending on where a few guys are in terms of their prep for Test cricket, so there's every reason to think there'll be opportunities for plenty of players who may be just outside this contract list."

WATCH: Revisit Mitchell Marsh's unbeaten 177 against Bangladesh at the 2023 World Cup

Bailey also provided some insight into the future of experienced all-rounder Mitch Marsh, who remains Australia's T20I captain and looks likely to lead the side into action during next year's T20 World Cup.

Marsh has battled a back injury in recent times and is currently plying his trade as a batter only in the IPL with Lucknow Super Giants, but Bailey believes the 33-year-old still has plenty of cricket ahead of him.

"I still think he's got an incredibly important role to play," Bailey said of Marsh. "He's had some injury issues, and towards the back end of the summer he was battling with his back a little bit.

"It's an ongoing conversation as to where bowling may or may not fit into his international cricket going forward. At the moment, in the IPL, he's available only as a batter.

"He's still the captain of our T20 team and still think he can play an incredibly important role in setting that team up and hopefully leading that team to some success in the T20 World Cup.

WATCH: Mitchell Marsh guides Australia to the 2021 T20 World Cup title

"I think he's got plenty of one-day cricket left in him as well, so I still think he's a really valuable member of the white-ball sides."

And while Marsh got dropped from Australia's Test side last summer following a run of poor scores with the bat, Bailey hasn't given up on the hard-hitter making a return to the red-ball side and thinks the Ashes series against England at the end of the year could suit.

"I don't necessarily think that his red ball career is over as well," Bailey noted.

"I don't think he was scoring the runs that he would have wanted, or we would have wanted, when we left him out of the Test side. But I still think there's an incredibly exciting skill-set there with the bat, the way he can rip a game open.

"If you look ahead to a team like England, and the way they play their cricket and the way they seem to be framing up their team, I think he's got a skill-set there that could be helpful."