This week Australia played in two warm-up matches for the Champions Trophy and some questions were answered, most in regard to Australia’s line up and players for the first game against New Zealand on Friday – including a player from the big four that mightn’t play.
Australia defeated Sri Lanka in a high scoring, last gasp thriller but the game against Pakistan was washed out after only ten overs were bowled but we were still able to learn a lot from those games.
Could Mitchell Starc be underdone?
Yes. Mitchell Starc hasn’t played a cricket game since March when he suffered a stress fracture in the same foot that he injured in 2015.
Starc was rested from the first warm up game but in a stroke of bad luck he couldn’t bowl at all in the second match to blow off the cobwebs because of the rain.
In a competition where a loss could send you tumbling out of the tournament, if your best strike bowler is bowling poorly or suffers a serious injury than he could become a costly selection for Australia in the tournament.
Will we get to see our first glimpse of the big four in one team?
The champions Trophy was supposed to be the first tournament where Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and James Pattinson could all play in the same game and make the opposition really nervous because of the ferocity of the pace attack.
However, based on the combined factors of John Hastings resting from the first match and James Pattinson’s poor performance with the ball – with figures of one for 80 from his ten overs in the first warm up.
These factors have showed that Hastings may play his first ODI since October in 2016 because of the selectors wanting to rest him.
Sadly this means we might not be able to watch the big four pace attack in a game together until November if Hastings gets selected.
Who will partner David Warner?
Chris Lynn, Travis Head and Aaron Finch were all names tossed up to be Warner’s opening partner. Lynn showed how destructive he is as an opener during the IPL where he hit 295 runs at the strike rate of 180.
Head also scored his maiden ODI ton when opening the batting in January. While Head and Lynn both put up good cases to open, the form of Finch during the practice games puts up an irresistible case for his selection.
He has scores of 137 and 36 not out showcasing his sublime batting skills and enforcing why he should partner Warner in the first game.
Who’ll be the allrounders?
Australia has a wealth of allrounders to choose from with Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell supposedly fighting for one spot in the middle order because they’re both right arm spinners that can hit out at the end.
That could leave one spot in the team for another allrounder with Moises Henriques and Marcus Stoinis possibly fighting for a spot in the team. The last time Australia played in ODIs, Stoinis demolished the opposition which is ironically New Zealand who are the team Australia are facing in the first game.
The tour matches have served as a brilliant experiment to answer the questions that the selectors needed to be answered before the first match against New Zealand on Friday the second of June.
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