The Australian One Day team lost the third ODI against India on Friday, which means that it has been nearly two years since Australia won an ODI series.
Australia’s next ODI assignment will be a five-match series in India in March and Australia will certainly need to make some changes for that series.
Alex Carey made some good starts, but failed to go on after he was promoted to opener. His ODI batting average is 27, he’s spent most of his time opening and batting in the middle order and failed to perform. While his List A strike rate sits at 76, which makes it hard to justify batting him in the traditional wicketkeeper’s position of 7.
Neither Peter Siddle nor Billy Stanlake are up to ODI standard, Nathan Lyon failed to convert his Test success into ODI success, while Usman Khawaja batted way too slowly. All five along with squad member Mitch Marsh should be dropped for the India tour.
Captain Aaron Finch should hold his spot for the tour to India, however, if he fails to perform there he should make way for Steve Smith and David Warner when they return from suspension.
As for the makeup of the team, the in-form D’Arcy Short should open the batting with Aaron Finch, with Marcus Stoinis moving up to three.
Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb and Glenn Maxwell should occupy four, five and six. The number seven position should go to Matthew Wade. Since being dropped from the Australian team, Wade has been one of the best performerss in Australian domestic cricket. Crucially, his ODI strike rate when batting at seven is 95.
The finisher, James Faulkner, should bat at 8, with Pat Cummins, Jhye Richardson and Adam Zampa rounding out the eleven.
Jason Behrendorff, Steve O’Keefe and Ashton Turner should go as the reserves.
Mitch Starc and Josh Hazlewood have been left out so that they can find some form at shield level, while Chris Lynn wasn’t considered because he isn’t fully fit.
My Australian team for Australia’s ODI series in India:
D’Arcy Short
Aaron Finch (c)
Marcus Stoinis
Shaun Marsh
Peter Handscomb (vc)
Glenn Maxwell (vc)
Matthew Wade (wk)
James Faulkner
Pat Cummins
Jhye Richardson
Adam Zampa
Reserves:
Steve O’Keefe
Ashton Turner
Jason Behrendorff
anon
Roar Pro
You do confuse many people.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
As usual, you are confused.
Zavjalova
Roar Rookie
I think Handscomb should be keeper and pick another specialist batsman. Wade has been doing well, but I'm not convinced he's good for the changing culture within the the national team. Serial sledger who crosses the line with personal attacks on opposition players. He's a bit of a Warner in that regard. Toxic.
dan ced
Guest
Short? LOL, clearly not up to international standard, he may get there with T20's, but at the moment he's as much of a liability as Chris Lynn in the international team. Terrible selection. I'd rather someone like Jake Weatherald get a crack up top, with Daniel Hughes perhaps. Finch should be dropped.
JuBe
Guest
Because Wade's record as a keeper really stacks up? Grow a brain. Dropping Finch makes more sense as his form is woeful.
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
Both ARU & CA need a revamp. Solution: Langer to coach Aust. Rugby & Cheika to coach our Cricket side. Problem solved.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
They just need to use him though. No point picking him to carry drinks. A spinner needs to bowl and bowl and bowl..
Paul
Roar Guru
fair call Don, but if he's fit I still think he's a goer for the WC. If nothing else we're going to need some batting depth if our recent efforts in ODI's in England are anything to go by and Agar down the order could be very handy.
anon
Roar Pro
He's the coach of the national side, champ. No-one has more influence.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Do you know there is a Chairman of Selectors to do that?
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Agar has a broken finger. Out for a while...certainly the rest of BBL.
AREH
Roar Guru
This! Adds so much depth and balance to the batting, enabling an extra hitter. It's 50 overs, it's not a FC match so I would imagine Handscomb can handle the keeping load?
anon
Roar Pro
Finch's time is up. There needs to be consequences when you don't perform for months on end. Get Wade in there. Carey's not up to it. Let Carey go back to domestic cricket and force his way into the national side with big innings. Even Handscomb can keep. If I were running Cricket Australia, Langer would be on real thin ice right now. I'd call an emergency meeting and have him explain these ODI selections.
Tony H
Roar Pro
100% Ronan. That also gives us the option of bringing in an extra hitter to balance Khawaja, Marsh and Handscomb in the top 7. 4 hitters, and 3 aggregators in the top 7 but with Handscomb's ability to fins the boundary late, is a good balance.
Cadfael
Roar Guru
Send over an under 23 side and have our players prepare for the Ashes rather than another meaningless ODI series.
Mitcher
Guest
Not sure that because a wide variance of opinions (with varying levels of validity) exist out there that a shaky at best selection panel gets the get out of jail ‘can’t win’. Yes there are a thousand opinions. But there more than enough evidence that selection processes are dysfunctional and if anything the panel needs to be scrutinised more heavily. Doesn’t mean they have to answer to every joe blow on the street but they shouldn’t be above reproach.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
The more obvious choice is to make Handscomb the wicketkeeper - he has nearly 1,000 runs at 50 playing as a keeper in List A cricket. He's also in good ODI form, having made a lot of runs in his last 5-6 matches.
Sgt Pepperoni
Roar Rookie
Well said. If this lot had their way we'd be picking a new player for each spot every game
JamesH
Roar Guru
What did Mitch Marsh do wrong in this format? Didn't he carry the drinks well enough? He has a better ODI record than most of our current top 6. Too many people can't separate his test failures from his 50 over game.
Paul
Roar Guru
Mr R, you've picked a side based on logic I'd expect from an Australian selector! You want to keep Finch, who's hardly made a run, but get rid of Khawaja because he bats too slowly, but made runs in this series. Stanlake is a no-go after one ODI, Short comes in based on what form; T20s versus medium pacers on flat decks? How will that stack up in India against their spinners & Bumrah? You've decided Stoinis should bat 3 based on what? I assume it's not form as I don't recall him making a go of 3 consistently at State or National level in any form of the game. I also assume you've brought Faulkner back into the fold because you like him as a player and he was really good 2 years ago? Carey will go because the selectors, again, have boxed themselves in by making him VC. Ditto for Finch and both have 4 weeks to really find some batting form. Starc won't go as they'll rest him again but will make the WC squad. Hazlewood's injured and won't be risked, most likely till the Ashes tour. MM will come back in for sure, but we need at least one and maybe two spinning all-rounders. SOK would be a lock if he wasn't on the nose with CA so that leaves Agar. As for the rest, I have no idea and I don't think the selectors do either.