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Australia’s hopes of defending their World Cup title have received a major boost with the news that stars David Warner and Steve Smith should return for the five-match ODI series against Pakistan in April.
That banned pair were set to miss this pivotal warm-up for the World Cup, which starts in June. But the series in the UAE is now expected to be pushed back from late March to early April, meaning Smith and Warner will be available to play, something coach Justin Langer flagged as a possibility.
This would be a boon for Australia, offering them a chance to reintegrate this gun duo into their top order well in advance of the World Cup in England.
The ODI tour of the UAE is Australia’s last series before that tournament, which is scheduled on the ICC’s Future Tours Programme. While Australia should also have several warm-up games in the weeks before the World Cup those, I would imagine, will be one-off matches rather than a series.
Australia’s ODI batting lineup has struggled badly in the absence of Smith and Warner, who were banned for 12 months up until the end of March 2019 for their roles in the ball tampering scandal.
Australia have not managed to find a batsman who could fill the role of either of that pair. D’Arcy Short and Chris Lynn have been trialled as aggressive openers, in lieu of Warner, but neither have yet flourished, albeit during limited appearances.
The absence of Smith has served as a reminder of how much Australia need him as an anchorman in ODIs. Australia have loaded up on ODI power hitters in the past year, which has left their batting lineup unbalanced. Smith has the ability to complement more dynamic batsmen by working the ones and twos and guiding his team’s innings in the manner of England’s Joe Root and India’s Virat Kohli.
A top four for the World Cup of David Warner, Aaron Finch, Steve Smith and Shaun Marsh would have a great blend of power, experience, versatility and reliability. It would appear well equipped to provide fine platforms for late innings fireworks from the likes of Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis.
That pair are at their brutal best when they come to the crease with a licence to unleash. But all too often in the past year Maxwell and Stoinis arrived in the middle with Australia in trouble and so have been forced to bat against their instincts.
Maxwell’s strike rate of 121 is the highest in ODI history (min. 1,000 runs), while Stoinis has struck at a shade under a-run-a-ball in his 21-match career. The Victorian’s greatest value is his ability to come to the crease and immediately score at a scorching pace late in an ODI innings against soft balls with the field set deep.
While there are many batsmen who can do this at the top of the order against new balls with the field up, Maxwell’s skill set is truly rare.
Stoinis, too, does not need time to play himself in before upping the ante. This is why he and Maxwell should, preferably, do all their batting in the final 15 overs of an ODI innings. It is also why it made sense that Australia promoted wicketkeeper Alex Carey to number five, above Stoinis and Maxwell, in their last series against South Africa.
Carey looked out of his element down at seven, where he often was required to hit out from early in his innings. The left-hander is better suited to knocking the ball around and acting as a foil for ferocious strikers.
(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
With both Stoinis and Maxwell also offering handy bowling options, Australia’s lineup would suddenly look well balanced.
While Australia have been atrocious in ODIs over the past two years, they need only find form for a brief period to retain the World Cup.
This following team would be capable of challenging any ODI side in the world if it built some momentum:
1. David Warner
2. Aaron Finch (c)
3. Steve Smith
4. Shaun Marsh
5. Alex Carey
6. Marcus Stoinis
7. Glenn Maxwell
8. Ashton Agar
9. Mitchell Starc
10. Nathan Lyon
11. Josh Hazlewood