The likes of Chris Lynn, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa and D’Arcy Short can push their 50-over World Cup credentials by dominating in Australia’s four T20 internationals in the UAE starting today.
It may be a different format but these matches could have a significant influence on the makeup of Australia’s squad for next year’s World Cup.
Australia will soon announce their squad for the three-match home ODI series against South Africa, which starts in two weeks, and there’s a logjam of players vying for selection after impressing in the JLT Cup.
Making that squad will be a massive boost to a player’s World Cup hopes. The matches against South Africa, and the three-game series against India in mid-January, are the most high-profile ODIs Australia play between now and the World Cup. So performances in those contests likely will be heavily weighted.
Right now, the easiest way for Lynn, Coulter-Nile, Zampa, Short, Ashton Agar or Nathan Lyon to earn a spot in the ODI squad to play the Proteas is by bossing it in these T20s, which start today with a match against the UAE.
In fact, 13 members of Australia’s current 15-man squad are realistic chances of making the World Cup squad, with only Peter Siddle and Ben McDermott not really in the mix.
Lynn, Coulter-Nile, Zampa, Short, Agar, Lyon, Alex Carey, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Billy Stanlake, Andrew Tye, Mitchell Starc and Aaron Finch are all very much in the running for the World Cup.
Yet only two of those cricketers – pace star Starc and gun opener Finch – are locks for that tournament if fit. Which leaves 11 guys with a massive amount to play for over the next week.
(AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
Maxwell has a major point to prove after being snubbed for Australia’s Tests against Pakistan. The mercurial all-rounder has been in astonishing form over the past two years in T20 internaitonals. In his past 15 matches, he has piled up 542 runs at 68, all at the extraordinary strike rate of 175.
No batsman in the world has a better T20I average over that period than Maxwell.
Along with Finch, the world’s number one T20I batsman, Maxwell has been central to Australia’s resurgence in the shortest format. The side have risen to third in the T20 rankings on the back of a 16-8 win-loss record since March 2016.
In Lynn and Short, Australia have two more of the world’s most devastating ball strikers. Lynn has yet to find his range in limited T20I appearances but is coming off a monstrous JLT Cup in which he hammered 452 runs at 65, at a sprinting strike rate of 118.
Short, meanwhile, has made a fine start to his T20I career, with 377 runs at an average of 42 and a strike rate of 132. He, too, was in rollicking form in the JLT Cup, with 404 runs at 81, including a scarcely-believable knock of 257, which featured 23 sixes.
(AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
Short and Finch should open for Australia in these T20s, followed by Lynn and Maxwell. The number five spot will likely be filled by all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, given his status as vice-captain.
Personally, I would prefer an opportunity instead be given to 23-year-old Tasmanian stroke-maker McDermott, who was the second-leading runscorer in the JLT Cup and has a very good T20 career record, averaging 35 with a strike rate of 146.
At six in the order, Alex Carey is now Australia’s first-choice T20I keeper and seems to be a strong chance of taking Tim Paine’s spot in the ODI side next month.
I expect Australia to play five bowlers in the UAE, with spinning all-rounder Ashton Agar batting at seven. Agar has been impressively economical in his 11 T20Is this year, giving up just 7.13 runs per over.
Agar, Lyon and Zampa are the three main contenders to be Australia’s lead spinner at next year’s World Cup, with Australia likely to field just one specialist slow bowler in their XI for that tournament.
Today we should also see the return of a man who has the potential to have a major impact at the World Cup if he’s fit: intimidating WA quick Nathan Coulter-Nile. The 31-year-old is the third best 50-over paceman in Australia after Starc and Hazlewood.
(AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
He made a striking return from injury in the JLT Cup, with nine wickets at 21 from four games. With a combination of high pace, steepling bounce, late swing, good accuracy and a solid range of changeups, Coulter-Nile has everything it takes to be an ODI star, except for durability.
Australia’s best T20 XI
1. Aaron Finch
2. D’Arcy Short
3. Chris Lynn
4. Glenn Maxwell
5. Mitch Marsh
6. Alex Carey (wk)
7. Ashton Agar
8. Nathan Coulter-Nile
9. Andrew Tye
10. Adam Zampa
11. Nathan Lyon
Australia’s T20I squad for tour of UAE
Aaron Finch (captain), Mitchell Marsh (vice-captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Ben McDermott, Glenn Maxwell, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
When your top 6 combine to contribute just 22 runs it doesn't matter who you've got at number 7/8 Using last night as an example of why Australia need a stronger lower order is bizarre to me.
Sgt Pepperoni
Roar Rookie
"Australia’s number 7 has not faced a single ball in 6 of their past 12 matches" Well what can I say after last night . . .
Matt H
Roar Guru
Well that was a cracking performance last night. Can't blame the Marshes or test selection for that one, Finch was the only batsman who played in the tests. The 'stickability' of Australian batsmen when the chips are down is at an all time low. As usual, there are positives on the bowling front. Stanlake has developed really well and Tye continues to impress. With NCN coming back to fitness we have half a dozen good short form bowlers to choose from, without even having to turn to inexperience players. Our spinners were average, although Short had a good cameo. Lyon really should get a run although I understand giving him a rest after bowling so many overs in the tests. But our bowlers need something to bowl at.
Baggy_Green
Roar Pro
Destructive for rheir own team you mean lol .. all polished up by candy and pie bowling for less than 25
Michael Keeffe
Roar Guru
The earliest Lynn is looking to play red ball cricket is the start of the 2019/2020 summer. He wants to keep working on getting his body right before playing the longer form. When he does then provided he gets a few runs his selection would be justified. He has a fantastic fc record. Darcy Short on the other hand averages 25 or 26 in fc cricket. People keep saying David Warner was turned from a t20 into a test player. The difference was his fc average at the time (albeit from a small amount of games) was 50+
Kopa Shamsu
Guest
Embarassing & very concerning performance from Aussies. That's how I would summarise it.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Warnie picked him in his team and Boof named him as a bolter.
Matt H
Roar Guru
Well that was pretty comfortable. This game showed the risk with the T20 format, there is v ery little room for a comeback. This game was always going to be an Australian victory, but it was became really easy after only two over of the match. the remainin 36 overs or so was just to formalise the result. I guess D'Arcy Short will be Australia's next test opening batsman now? According to that Langer interview he ticks all the boxes: - made runs - format doesn't matter - he's a good bloke - well I don't know him, but he plays for WA so if that's how Langer picks them, he picked him for WA, so he must be a top bloke.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Sorry, that 12 of 6 was referring to half a partnership. I would look to each of the 11 averaging 21 off 11. I guess your right Ronan in that it is similar to the Poms one day style, I would just take it further with more hitters, maybe all the way down to 11 and see if off speed part timers can do enough to keep the oppositions score to less. It would be an experiment but one that would be worth taking. Maybe in the BBL reserve games I think they play.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
I'd really like to see Australia play 3 frontline spinners in T20Is, alongside two specialist quicks (like the team I picked above) but I think Australia are still too spin-shy to do that.
Sgt Pepperoni
Roar Rookie
Ok well that's a hard fact to argue with... What about the bbl and ipl? The lower order often seem to be asked to wield the willow
AREH
Roar Guru
Spinning to win - I like it It's what the best teams seem to always do in the T20 format.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
"For me, specialist bowlers are of less value in t20 because of the 4 over limit." Australia's number 7 has not faced a single ball in 6 of their past 12 matches. So having a really strong batsman at 7 is a complete waste a lot of the time, it makes much more sense to have at 7 a frontline bowler like Agar who can also whack the ball when needed.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
That is a variation on what England do in ODIs - they pick long batting lineups and attack with the bat across the full 50 overs to make big scores that their modest bowling attack can defend.
Sgt Pepperoni
Roar Rookie
If you look at the Indian team across all formats they value batsmen more than we do. We are often seduced by pace in our selections. Never moreso than in the subcontinent where pace is less dominant Having a strong top six is great but what happens when they fail? For me, specialist bowlers are of less value in t20 because of the 4 over limit
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
My main man Coulter-Nile is on fire - 3 overs, 2-9
Rellum
Roar Guru
That not really my point. I want to see a BBL coach actually really change up and challenge all the assumptions of how T20 cricket should be played and pick a very power hitting long batting lineup and try to get eveyone averaging about 12 runs off 6 balls. I feel like you can at least try and out score teams rather than play the more traditional lineup. I know most players 7 and below rarely get a bat, and when they do get a bat I bet their team usually looses. That is why I disagree with your below statements about who should be wicket keeper. I would be happy for Tim Paine to kerp and bat at 8 if you are going the stardard route on team make up. The best keeper will give you more value in the field and batting at 8 than a substandard keeper who might hit a few more at 7. Chris Hartley did this when he won the BBL with the Sydney grern franchise.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
I really don't rate Stoinis as T20 cricketer, he has an awful career record across 68 matches - with the bat he averages 20 at a really poor strike rate of 119. With the ball he averages 29 with at an economy rate of 8.66.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
I agree McDermott is a better keeper-batsman option than Carey in this Aussie T20I side because there's no room for Carey to bat in the top 5 and McDermott is a more destructive ball striker down the order. But Carey seems to be very highly rated by the selectors, I think they have him locked in as T20I and ODI keeper for a while to come.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Batting deep is important in Tests and ODIs but much less important in T20Is where your 7/8/9/10/11 batsmen much less often have to play a major role with the blade. If you have a strong top 6 then your number 7 just needs to be a competent ball striker like Agar not a gun batsman.