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Who can add the needed steel to Australia's fragile ODI batting?

13th November, 2018
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Expert
13th November, 2018
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Australia’s over-reliance on hitting boundaries was exposed as they lost the ODI series to South Africa 2-1. So which domestic batsmen could potentially improve balance by rotating the strike?

The bans handed to David Warner and Steve Smith forced Australia into a one-paced overhaul, laden with batsmen who rarely look to work the ones and twos, preferring to scores in blocks of four and six.

This makes it too easy for opposition attacks to build groups of dot balls, ratcheting up the pressure on the batsman to break the shackles with a boundary.

Even England, the world’s most attacking ODI side, have Joe Root, who is adept at keeping the scoreboard moving without clattering boundaries.

Across his ODI career, only 36 per cent of Root’s runs have come from boundaries. Meanwhile, Australia’s best ODI accumulator, Smith, scores 39 per cent of his runs in boundaries, a fairly similar rate to predecessors Michael Clarke (37%) and Mike Hussey (37%).

These are the sorts of batsmen who anchor an innings, quietly rotating the strike and guarding their wicket while their more dynamic batting colleagues get after the bowlers.

Is it any wonder, then, that Australia’s lineup is falling apart without a couple of these integral batsmen?

Australia's Steven Smith raises his bat after scoring a century

Steve Smith (AFP PHOTO / Theo KARANIKOS)

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Smith will surely play such a role in the World Cup. In his absence, veteran Shaun Marsh is performing a role not hugely different, scoring 45 per cent of his runs in boundaries so far in 2018.

It also appears new wicketkeeper Alex Carey is being trialled in a similar post. Carey was promoted to five against South Africa and was one of the few Aussie batsmen who did not constantly follow the pattern of: dot, dot, dot, dot, boundary, dot, dot, dot, dot, boundary.

Carey, who was the second-highest runscorer against SA, with 122 runs at 41, played well within himself as he tried to add some steel to the middle order. The South Australian reined in his attacking instincts, scoring only 28 per cnet of his runs in boundaries.

While I’m not yet sold on Carey as an ODI cricketer, there is sense in his promotion to five to act as a nudge-and-run foil for boundary hitters Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis.

Looking ahead to next year’s World Cup in England, there may be games when Australia need to pick a more aggressive batting lineup. But against the strongest attacks, like SA and India, Australia would look better balanced with Smith, Carey and Shaun Marsh all providing a conservative counterweight to the audaciousness of Maxwell, Stoinis and Warner.

Given Australia’s next ODI series is against India in January, prior to Smith and Warner’s bans being lifted, it would be wise for them to consider picking another more traditional-style batsman in place of a bludgeoner. Four attacking batsmen and three steadier hands – players comfortable working ones and twos – would appear to be an appropriate lineup to face India’s dangerous bowling unit.

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A glance at the top runscorers in the recent JLT Cup shows that many of them are reliant on hitting boundaries. Here is the percentage of runs scored by boundaries among the leading runscorers:

Marcus Stoinis – 82%
D’Arcy Short – 74%
Chris Lynn – 71%
Jake Weatherald – 70%
Sam Heazlett – 69%
Jack Edwards – 61%
Callum Ferguson – 51%
Cameron White – 49%
Jake Lehmann – 46%
Ben McDermott – 44%
Peter Handscomb – 43%
Joe Burns – 32%

Australia's batsman Joe Burns plays a shot against South Africa.

Joe Burns during a Test match. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Ferguson, Handscomb and Burns are the three best options to join the team tasked with playing relatively cautiously and rotating the strike. Their considerable experience makes them extra appealing looking ahead to the World Cup.

In the past three years, Ferguson has piled up 1700 runs at 57 in one day cricket. With 16 years of List A cricket under his belt, Ferguson has the kind of experience which could be crucial at the World Cup. He also has enjoyed recent success in England, smashing 377 runs at 94 in this year’s Royal London One Day Cup.

Crucially, Ferguson is a flexible 50-over player who has batted everywhere from one to six. That includes a 30-match ODI stint between 2009 and 2011 when he averaged 41 for Australia while batting mostly at five and six. During his ODI career he scored just 38 per cent of his runs from boundaries, which underscores the balance that he could bring.

Handscomb and Burns are similarly adaptable batsmen, both having played a variety of different roles across their List A careers. Either man would be a wise replacement for the series against India and, perhaps, beyond that too.

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But Ferguson is the standout. It is extraordinary that he has not played a one-day match for Australia in seven years considering his fantastic ODI record and his consistent dominance of the domestic competition.

The squad I would pick to face India in the ODI series:

1. Aaron Finch
2. Chris Lynn
3. Shaun Marsh
4. Callum Ferguson
5. Alex Carey
6. Marcus Stoinis
7. Glenn Maxwell
8. Pat Cummins
9. Mitchell Starc
10. Adam Zampa
11. Josh Hazlewood

Reserves:
12. Ashton Agar
13. Peter Handscomb
14. Mitchell Marsh
15. Nathan Coulter-Nile

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