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Forget Tests, Australia must shift their focus to the shorter form

Steve Smith was disappointed with his team's performance. They need to focus more. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
Roar Guru
22nd April, 2017
31

Australia need to start putting more focus on their One Day and T20 teams. It is good to see priority on the Test team but this form of cricket is beginning to lose popularity.

It is not helping Australia when the selectors decide to rest star players such as David Warner, Steve Smith and Matthew Wade in their ODI team and schedule the T20s when none of the players in the Test squad available to play.

The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) are trying their best to get bums on seats in limited overs but people aren’t going to want to pay to see the Australian second XI play.

Being in the Test team is an honour for anyone and that should be the same for the ODI team, but it seems as if the coloured clothing has lost its value.

People such as Billy Stanlake and Sam Heazlett are simply not ready for Australia, Heazlett hasn’t even played a List A game for Queensland. Stanlake has only played six list A games.

The obsession the Australian selectors have with picking young players hurts specialist One Day players like George Bailey who averages over 40 in ODI cricket. In the Test team players have to prove themselves over a long period of time, but in the limited forms players only need a good performance in the Big Bash to be picked.

With the upcoming champions trophy Australia need to win to show that they are still number one in One Day cricket and show that they care equally about Test cricket and limited overs cricket.

With all this in mind this is the best team that the Aussies can play in order to do well in the Champions trophy.

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1. David Warner
Warner’s record speaks for itself, he has an average of 44.84 and has 13 hundreds to his name, he is a very reliable batsmen at the top of the order and at the moment his One Day record speaks for itself.

Glenn Maxwell congratulates David Warner

2. Matthew Wade
Wade averages 29.89 when opening the batting in one day cricket and it would be worth the Australians trialling him batting up the order again because there is no one else who is a recognised opener. If this experiment doesn’t work it is easy to open with Head or Lynn and Wade could go further down the order.

3. Steve Smith (C)
Smith is in the form of his life at the moment scoring three hundreds in the recent Test series in India and also doing well in the IPL. His captaincy is also very valuable to the team, this one is a no brainer.

4. Chris Lynn
Lynn has done incredibly well in the T20 cricket over a long period of time and seems to do well in any conditions, including India. If he is fit he will be an unstoppable force in the Australian team and is also capable of batting anywhere in the order.

5. Travis Head
Head has done very well since he made his debut in 2016, averaging 37.20 with the bat. He also contributes well with the ball bowling ten economical overs and fulfills the all rounder position.

6. Marcus Stoinis
Since his second ODI against New Zealand when he scored 146 not out and almost got the team to victory, Stoinis is a must in the One Day side. His aggressive batting is good for any position in the order, he is also a good medium pace bowler and gives Smith another option.

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7. Glenn Maxwell
There is not much to say about Maxwell, he is an absolute force in the One Day team. His style of play suits this form of cricket and the unconventional shots he plays at the back end of the innings are very effective making him a great finisher, preferably he would be batting further up the order but the order is to strong for him to be any higher.

8. Pat Cummins
Since his return to the Australian One Day team Cummins has never looked like getting dropped, his bowling is very dangerous and he forms an excellent partnership with the rest of the pace attack.

9. Mitchell Starc
Starc is the most experienced of the bowlers in this team and he is at the peak of his career at the moment when he is at his best there is no doubt he is the best in the world. He is very effective in the back end of the innings when the batsmen are looking to score he has an excellent fast yorker.

10. Adam Zampa
Zampa got more wickets than any other bowler in the world in 2016 and it left many people baffled when he wasn’t picked early in the Australian One Day summer. He didn’t have the best BBL season but did well when his was picked in the Australian Summer.

11. Josh Hazlewood
Hazlewood give good yin and yang to the fast bowlers, the other two are quick and intimidating but Hazlewood has less pace but more bounce and seam movement, he starts of the innings well keeping the runs down to a minimum.

12. George Bailey
Despite his excellent record their isn’t a place for Bailey in the strong Australian team, if there is an injury or a batsmen is dropped he would definitely be the best option for Australia, coming off an excellent Sheffield Shield season.

This would be the best team Australia could play in the Champions Trophy and will give them the best possible chance of winning.

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