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.
Big Daddy
Guest
This why they didn't pick him for 3 years and all of a sudden he's one of the six best ODI batsmen in the country and then they hide him at first slip because he is useless in the outfield. England have outsmarted us with their selection in this style of game
DLKN
Guest
Yeah, let's continue to leave out the one contender we have for a world XI spin spot, who just happens to also be in good white ball form. If Zampa is our best short-form spinner, we need not bother showing up for next year's world cup. Given the outstanding job that the test selectors did over the summer, I guess we just have to blame these illogical short-form selections on the selector who gets a louder, more influential voice in this form of the game - Mark Waugh. And to think there's a pundit out there who wants him made Chair of the whole panel!
Saurebh Gandle
Roar Guru
Smith as Australian captain needs to aanchor the innings like Joe Root has been doing for England.
Custard Cream
Roar Rookie
Actually, if you drop Smith, you could pick Maxwell. A twofer!
anon
Roar Pro
Maxwell is in some of the best form of his career in domestic cricket and we know what he can do in ODI cricket (best player of the last World Cup). Maxwell's inclusion is a no brainer in a team with no truly dynamic batsmen. Australia was crying out for Maxwell with 5 overs left to go yesterday. Maxwell could have propelled the score over 300 and actually gave Australia some chance of defending the total. Instead we had White doing what White has always done which is push the ball around for singles. Cameron White in 89 ODIs is a 34 average batsman with a strike rate of 80. A STRIKE RATE OF 80. Maxwell in 80 ODIs has a 32 average at a strike rate of 124. No brainer who should be playing. No wonder Australia couldn't score 300 if this is their mentality.
Nick
Guest
I think you will find Paul meant once he was given the side he could have played the batsmen anyway he wanted.
David Lord
Expert
cos1, I hope Glenn Maxwell watched Nick Kyrgios last night. He knuckled down to play some sensational tennis, but like Maxwell played too many funky shots at critical times that very nearly cost him the first and third sets that would have cost him a magnificent victory,
David Lord
Expert
The other way around Pail, the selectors confer with the captain, then pick the side. There's no guarantee the captain's wishes are granted.
David Lord
Expert
Mark, I cannot understand how D'Arcy Short was short-changed, and how can the selectors possibly leave out the world's most successful bowler in 2017?
David Lord
Expert
JohnB, correct on all counts. The Gabba side was picked like throwing confetti into a howling southerly.
David Lord
Expert
RB, Mitchell Marsh is bowling rubbish, which won't improve until his shoulder is 100 per cent. I also left out Marcus Stoinis who has been a big disappointment with the ball. Both have bowled too many half-trackers, which at ODI level doesn't cut the mustard.
Mark
Guest
Bring in darcy for head. Bring in lyons for white.
Brian
Guest
Australia need to punt fat Boof as the ODI coach if we’re going to use his own logic to dropping players. Punter should be the limited overs coach and selector, he obviously understands the one day game better than Lehmann and will pick blokes who can play a certain role in the side as opposed to batsmen who play “sensible” shots and get a neat 30(44).
Paul
Roar Guru
David I question whether it was the selector's fault or Smiths. I was told from school boy age that once a side was chosen, it was up to the captain to make what they would of the players available. In other words, you suggested a batting lineup with Carey and White batting up the order. Smith could have done the same thing once the teams were announced, so that is not the selectors fault. In saying that, this side was never going to contain or bowl out England unless it made 400 or close to it, because it simply lacked quality bowling options. THAT was the selectors fault for sure and I don't recall hearing any reasons why they made their decisions - again.
Neil Back
Roar Rookie
I think you have to give some credit to good one day bowling and clever rotation of them by Morgan. But it also looked like Australia still haven’t worked out the required batting pace, especially given the depth they’d picked. Often felt like batsmen were waiting for the big shot rather than accumulating.
Bakkies
Guest
The team need to get on top of this virus thing. They are playing at home not in Delhi where batsmen can't go out to bat due to the risk of being timed out while on the toilet. A virus is what you get in Asia or the height of the European winter when people bring it to work due to not getting paid while sick.
Bakkies
Guest
Finch had to do it because Smith and Warner got out. Head is useless and Marsh can't play spin. Carey was about as effective as Paine was with the bat in Melbourne. Time to stop using the Melbourne Rebels of Australian Cricket the Base Ball League as a selection tool. It is an expensive tournament to run and the players are regressing. As Brett mentioned in his article that the bowling is horrendous and not even club standard. Batsmen are getting let offs due to awful fielding and catching. Australian limited overs performances have gone down hill since this league has disrupted the flow of the season. Bowlers aren't developing playing 20 over Cricket using slower balls from the start of their spell to reduce the risk of getting carted over the fence. They should be playing 50 overs Cricket right through the Summer the day after a Shield match when the weather is hot and the pitches don't a lot. Richardson is promising but wouldn't have played a 50 over domestic match since October that's no way to develop a limited overs bowler. Those matches are played on small district club grounds that have just taken down the Rugby posts and not across the country on grounds used for International Cricket. Tye doesn't look like a genuine wicket taker at this level and at 31 doesn't have a lot of upside. In two years time his pace is likely to drop.
Micky t
Guest
As already mentioned replace Glass Jaw Waugh with Ricky Ponting as Head Selector for one dayers. Clearly our Big Bash second line up of bowlers aren't up to scratch and it's being revealed. Change of skipper with how England do it. Smith will get burnt out with his ADHD. And I would want a skipper and selector that is not impacted by having those that are great "team" men in the sheds. Maybe for Perth go with Best XI. All I care about is South Africa Test series.
Arcturus
Roar Rookie
Find an excuse to drop Smith. He won't bowl, doesn't think on his feet enough to be a decent one-day captain, wastes reviews, and the rest of the team rely on him too much - if he doesn't score big, everyone who follows thinks it must be a tough pitch.
JohnB
Guest
I can't criticise resting Pat Cummins from an ODI unless it's in the world cup but it was an odd looking side. White was maybe there to come in if the innings needed shoring up at some point? Other pertinent questions are what were Finch and Marsh thinking wandering along at 5 an over when well set and plenty in the shed before both limply getting out, and why did all the batsmen find it so hard to rotate the strike in the earlier overs?