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Pat Cummins and Mitch Marsh had breakout series as Australia defeated England in the five-match ODI tournament this week. Here’s how I rated the players from both sides, with a combined XI also selected.
Australia
Pat Cummins (9/10) – 12 wickets at an average of 20. His terrifying pace, consistently in the high 140s and up to 155kmh, spawned the headlines, yet it was his accuracy, variety and guile which impressed me most.
Mitch Marsh (8.5/10) – 134 runs at 45, plus eight wickets at 24. Marsh won the official man-of-the-series award. He was influential in all three of Australia’s wins, smacking a quickfire 40 not-out in the first 0DI, swinging the match with 64 from just 31 balls in the second match and then skittling England with 4-27 in the deciding fifth game.
Glenn Maxwell (8.5/10) – 166 runs at 42, plus six wickets at 30. His runs came at a phenomenal strike rate of 129, his bowling was very effective and his fielding extraordinary. Maxwell is now competing with James Faulkner and Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews for the title of the world’s best ODI all-rounder.
Aaron Finch (7/10) – 138 runs at 69. Finch is a crucial cog in Australia’s top order and rebounded strongly here after a mediocre World Cup.
George Bailey (7/10) – 218 runs at 55. His stats look great but Bailey often struggled for fluency and put pressure on his batting partner with his slow scoring. Bailey’s strike rate of 76 this series is unacceptable in modern ODIs.
Matthew Wade (6/10) – 164 runs at 82, plus 10 catches. The Victorian was sensational with the blade, cracking his 164 runs from 119 balls and playing well in pressure situations. Those efforts were tainted however by his keeping, which still is below par. A 9/10 with the bat and 3/10 with the gloves.
John Hastings (5.5/10) – Three wickets at 26 from two matches. Hastings’ bowling was clattered in his first match but he made up for that with a crucial 34 not-out plus a brilliant spell in the fifth ODI.
Steve Smith (5/10) – 156 runs at 31. Started well with 44 and 70 in the first two matches before his returns dwindled.
David Warner (5/10) – 60 runs at 60. A fractured thumb robbed Australia of their well-established opening partnership, with Joe Burns unable to step up. Warner’s absence will be keenly felt next month in Bangladesh.
Shane Watson (5/10) – 45 runs at 22, plus two wickets at 19. Bowled very well in the first match, taking 2-39 from eight overs, and made a handy run-a-ball 39 in the second game.
Ashton Agar (5/10) – two wickets at 28. A limited sample size, bowling only 11 overs, but Agar’s talent and potential are plain to see. For a 21-year-old spinner he possesses wonderful control.
Mitchell Starc (4/10) – five wickets at 43. A very rare bad series for the best limited overs bowler in the world.
Joe Burns (1/10) – 77 runs at 15. Handed a golden opportunity to open in all five matches but muffed it with some poor shot selection.
Marcus Stoinis (1/10) – four runs and no wickets. A left-field selection for this series and the one-off T20 match, and had a nightmare in both appearances.
James Pattinson (1/10) – zero wickets. Looked physically strong after a long injury layoff and operated with encouraging express pace. His control was shocking though and he leaked boundaries taking 0-109 from his 15 overs.
England
Eoin Morgan (8.5/10) – 278 runs at 69. A class player in rampant form.
James Taylor (8/10) – 246 runs at 49. Compact and consistent, he deserves a long stint in both ODIs and Tests.
Jason Roy (7/10) – 201 runs at 40. Exciting and very talented, he was not flustered by Australia’s express pace.
David Willey (6.5/10) – four wickets at 16. Added variety to England’s attack despite his glacial pace.
Adil Rashid (6.5/10) – seven wickets at 34. His attacking leg spin can be a great weapon for England.
Moeen Ali (6/10) – six wickets at 34. An overrated batsman but an improving offie.
Liam Plunkett (4.5/10) – five wickets at 30. Not an international-standard bowler.
Steven Finn (4.5/10) – four wickets at 35. Very gifted and can be a star, but had an ordinary series.
Ben Stokes (4.5/10) – 120 runs at 24, plus three wickets at 43. Living off Test success. He has had a poor ODI career to date.
Jonny Bairstow (4/10) – 58 runs at 19, plus five catches. Had no influence on the series.
Mark Wood (1/10) – two wickets at 81. The source of big hype in England but doesn’t impress me.
Reece Topley (1/10) – zero wickets. Only bowled 5.2 overs for the series.
Chris Woakes (1/10) – zero wickets. Like Plunkett, does not appear to be an international-quality bowler.
Jos Buttler (1/10) – possesses vast talent, he’s just terribly out of touch.
Alex Hales (1/10) – clueless against genuinely quick bowling. Would be bossed by Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel in Tests this year.
Not only based on this series – if I was to pick a combined XI to play an ODI this would be my team:
1. Aaron Finch (AUS)
2. David Warner (AUS)
3. Joe Root (ENG)
4. Steve Smith (AUS)
5. Eoin Morgan (ENG)
6. Glenn Maxwell (AUS)
7. Jos Buttler (ENG)
8. James Faulkner (AUS)
9. Mitchell Johnson (AUS)
10. Mitchell Starc (AUS)
11. Pat Cummins (AUS)