Australia have named Billy Stanlake, who last played international cricket in 2019, in their T20I squad to tout Pakistan. Here’s why.
Australia made a surprise pick in Stanlake, who has had his fair share of injury struggles, when naming their squad for the three-ODI series against Pakistan. Their big-three fast-bowling trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, are unavailable due to their IPL commitments, and so are Ben Dwarshuis and Xavier Bartlett, who have made the squad for the following Bangladesh series instead.
But Stanlake’s return was not so straightforward. The towering seamer made his Australia ODI debut in 2017, with only four List A games under his belt, and then in the T20Is a month later. His stocks rose sharply as he earned a central contract with Cricket Australia within a year, and an IPL deal with Royal Challengers Bengaluru and then with Sunrisers Hyderabad the next year.
However, a dip in form eventually led to his contracts drying up, and after seven ODIs and 19 T20Is his last international appearance came in November 2019. Injuries also limited his chances of a potential comeback, as he was forced to miss professional cricket for over two years between May 2021 and September 2023.
Stanlake has since played regular white-ball cricket for Tasmania, while also having his workload managed, and was rewarded with a spot in the Australia A squad for the unofficial ODI series against Sri Lanka in July 2025. He had fractured his shoulder earlier that year during a BBL game for Sydney Thunder, but recovered in time for the A series. The 31-year-old played five games in the 2025-26 One-Day Cup for Tasmania as they reached the final, taking seven wickets at 28.71.
How a net-bowling spell triggered Billy Stanlake's return to international cricket
Stanlake now has the opportunity to add to his international appearances on the tour to Pakistan. As Australia’s chairman of selectors George Bailey revealed, a net-bowling stint with the national team could have triggered Stanlake’s comeback.
“He hasn’t played for a long time, but he’s always been someone whose skill set, there’s a lot to like about it, and he’s got some attributes that are pretty unique,” Bailey said while announcing the Australia squads. “I think we had a camp last year ... at the end of the season and Billy was continuing to bowl through that and so he came up as a net bowler and I don’t think that it was much fun for our batters, who were trying to prepare for wherever we were off to.
“It was fast. It was hostile. It was nasty. And that’s him at his best. And it’s just been about him trying to get a run at it and hopefully put some injury issues behind him. So I think that’s exciting and (it is) a full credit to him for persevering through the injury issues he’s had, and Tasmania for working out a really good program and getting into the stage where he’s available, so that’s been great.”
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