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Opinion
The Australian Twenty20 World Cup team is starting to come together.
The top four of Aaron Finch, David Warner, Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell is one of the best in the world.
The selectors seem to have settled on a five-man bowling attack of Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson.
The two positions that are still up for grabs are the number five and six positions, one of which will need to be filled by a wicketkeeper.
The middle order has long been the weak link of the Australian Twenty20 team. Of the players that were selected to go to the West Indies, there are seven who could realistically bat at five or six.
Moises Henriques
T20I record: 220 runs at 31.42, strike rate of 135.80
T20 record: 4007 runs at 26.71, strike rate of 128.34
Henriques has performed well for Australia in Twenty20 internationals. The fact that he has been able to make those runs in the middle order certainly counts in his favour. Henriques is an excellent player of spin and is also a useful bowler.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Mitch Marsh
T20I record: 325 runs at 21.66, strike rate of 116.07
T20 record: 2334 runs at 30.71, strike rate of 126.91
Marsh has long been a consistent performer in the Big Bash. His record in Twenty20 internationals has been a bit inconsistent. He did a decent job in guiding Australia to their sole T20 victory against England last year after the team suffered a top-order collapse. He struggled in the recent series against New Zealand, although he was used badly, batting behind Agar in three of the five games.
Marcus Stoinis
T20I record: 376 runs at 25.06, strike rate of 133.80
T20 record: 3489 runs at 32, strike rate of 133.06
Stoinis has long been a consistent performer in the Big Bash. He also has a decent IPL record. There still remain questions over his ability to perform at international level, particularly in the middle order.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
Josh Philippe
T20I record: 105 runs at 21, strike rate of 120.68
T20 record: 1489 runs at 30.38, strike rate of 137.74
Philippe has a good record opening the batting for the Sydney Sixers over the last few Big Bash seasons. He earned an Australian debut as a specialist batsman against New Zealand. He has very little experience in the middle order, but could be worth picking.
Matthew Wade
T20I record: 526 runs at 21.91, strike rate of 126.74
T20 record: 2814 runs at 27.59, strike rate of 137
Wade has a good record when opening the batting, but his numbers in the middle order are pretty poor. He’s a good option as a back-up opener but doesn’t really fit into the middle order.
(Photo by Matt King – CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images)
Alex Carey
T20I record: 176 runs at 12.57, strike rate of 116.55
T20 record: 2081 runs at 30.15, strike rate of 128.14
Carey has done a solid job batting in the middle order of the Australian ODI team, but unfortunately he hasn’t been able to convert that to Twenty20 international level, despite his good Big Bash record.
D’Arcy Short
T20I record: 642 runs at 30.57, strike rate of 118.88
T20 record: 3349 runs at 36.40, strike rate 133.58
Short has dominated the Big Bash for years, but it remains to be seen if he can perform at international level.
These players shouldn’t be the only ones to be looked at to bat in the middle order. Another four players who weren’t picked in the squad – Ashton Turner, Josh Inglis, James Pierson and Dan Christian – should also be considered at five or six for future series.
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