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Opinion
Over the course of this T20 World Cup, the question that Australian cricket fans and the team itself have been debating is what is our best XI and what should the balance of the team be?
In the early games the Australian team tinkered with the team as they endeavoured to work through this.
Should they go with seven batsmen and four specialist bowlers or would it be better to have the extra bowler?
This seemed to be choice between the in-form, run-scoring Mitchell Marsh or the quality bowling of Ashton Agar.
After the poor team performance against England and the subsequent victories against Bangladesh and the Windies, this debate seemed to be settled.
That being, we need the extra batting of Marsh and we have enough fifth-bowler options with Marsh, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
While the balance of seven batsmen and four bowlers seems to be the better option, were we asking the wrong question initially when we were debating Marsh versus Agar?
Maybe the question the selectors and team should have been asking all along was Agar instead of one of the three quicks?
The case for Agar’s inclusion in the final is a compelling one when you consider the following:
• Agar and Adam Zampa as spin bowlers have been outstanding for Australian over the past two years.
• Zampa has been outstanding for Australia in this World Cup, taking 16 wickets and contending for player of the World Cup.
• Agar was the pick of the bowlers against England and scored 20 runs in his only match.
• Maxwell, another spin bowler, has bowled a couple of reasonable slow-bowling spells and taken two wickets.
• The three quicks have consistently been going for over 30 runs in their four overs and sometimes over 40 while only taking 22 wickets between them, with Pat Cummins taking only five wickets.
Agar needs to play. Not playing him could very well cost us a World Cup victory.
One of the quicks needs to make way for his inclusion and although we see Cummins as the future Australian Test captain, it probably should be him.
There is a World Cup victory on the line and sometimes we need to make the bravest call to maximise our chances to win.
Agar is in our best XI.
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