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The national selectors gave ODI captain Steve Smith an impossible task to beat England at the Gabba last night.
Down one-nil in the five-game series, the selectors handed Smith eight top-order batsman, rested quality quick Pat Cummins, and dropped the only recognised leggie Adam Zampa for a batsman.
Eight just doesn’t go into five.
The batting order for the MCG was David Warner, Aaron Finch, Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Tim Paine, Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye and Zampa.
Australia lost by five wickets.
For the Gabba – Warner, Finch, Smith, Head, Marsh, Stoinis, Cameron White, Alex Carey, Starc, Tye, and Jhye Richardson.
Australia lost by four wickets.
Carey for the virus-struck keeper Paine was a given, but why Cummins was rested with Josh Hazlewood still in virus mode and batsman White promoted for leggie Zampa beggars belief.
On the plus side, Carey has the second highest number of runs in the BBL with 368 at 61.33 opening the batting for the Adelaide Strikers that includes a 56-ball century this week.
Yesterday, Carey batted eight which was a ridiculous decision, yet was the only recognised Australian batsman who scored more runs off less deliveries with 27 off 24.
White has the third highest number of BBL runs this season with 285 at a massive 142.50 average, batting three for the Melbourne Renegades.
But White batted seven yesterday, but like Carey was severely buried and wasted, despite being in top form.
The batting order should have looked like this.
1 – Warner.
2 – Finch.
3 – Leftie Carey if Warner was first out, White if Finch.
4 – Smith.
5 – Carey, or White, depending on who missed out at three.
6 – Marsh.
7 – Stoinis.
8 – Head.
9 – Starc.
10 – Tye.
11 – Richardson.
The selectors must put some sanity into the SCG side for Sunday, or the series will be lost.
Hopefully Hazlewood will be fit enough to play and bring back Cummins, so Tye and Richardson will be dropped – and replace Head with Zampa.
(AAP Image/SNPA, John Cowpland)
So the batting order would be:
1 – Warner.
2 – Finch.
3 – Carey, or White, depending on the first wicket to fall.
4 – Smith.
5 – Carey, or White, depending on who missed out at three.
6 – Marsh.
7 – Stoinis.
8 – Cummins.
9 – Starc.
10 – Hazlewood.
11 – Zampa.
Retain Carey even if Paine is fit, reunite the big three quicks of Starc, Cummins, and Hazlewood, and return to a recognised spinner in leggie Zampa.
The fifth bowler would be a mixture of Marsh, Smith, and Finch – the latter a very under-rated slow left-arm orthodox.
That line-up would at least give Smith a team he can compete with, he had no chance at the Gabba.