Return of duo makes for hard World Cup selections: Finch

Published March 30, 2019
Both Smith, Warner are eligible to return to the national side after their suspensions for ball-tampering ended. — AFP/File
Both Smith, Warner are eligible to return to the national side after their suspensions for ball-tampering ended. — AFP/File

MELBOURNE: Fitting the disgraced duo of Steve Smith and David Warner into Australia’s World Cup squad will be “bloody hard” given the side’s resurgence without them, according to captain Aaron Finch.

Both Smith and Warner are eligible to return to the national side after their 12-month suspensions for ball-tampering ended on Thursday.

Australia beat Pakistan in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in their five-match ODI series, and have now won six matches in succession after coming back to defeat India 3-2 away.

Finch said it would be tough for selectors to decide who to leave out of the 15-man squad for the May 30-July 14 World Cup in England.

“It is bloody hard,” he said. “Especially when the side is playing so well, it’s going to be difficult. No matter who it is.

“At the end of the day ... it’s an incredibly tough decision. Whatever balance you go with in that 15-man squad, there’s going to be some very unlucky blokes out there.”

One could be Usman Khawaja, formerly a fringe member of the ODI side, who has flourished opening the batting with Finch since his recall in January, with 609 runs at an average of 55.36.

The left-hander could make way for Warner, who has scored more than 4,300 ODI runs and 14 centuries, in an explosive opening combination with Finch.

Smith, who has only just returned from elbow surgery, would complement a middle-order of Shaun Marsh and Peter Handscomb, with all-rounders Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell providing power-hitting through the lower-middle order.

Having struggled for a period without Smith and Warner, Finch’s side have shown the kind of form that propelled them to a fifth World Cup title four years ago on home soil.

Finch said consistency of selection had aided their turnaround.

“The fact that guys are getting more of an opportunity to keep developing their role, and developing the role they’ve been asked to play or the game demands, is gold,” he said. “That probably goes under the radar a little bit when you’re looking at teams that have been successful in the past.

“I think leading up to the 2015 World Cup, we’d had the same 15 players for a good 18 months or so. That goes a long way, not just to your culture but just an understanding of how each other plays.”

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2019

Opinion

Editorial

Kurram atrocity
Updated 22 Nov, 2024

Kurram atrocity

It would be a monumental mistake for the state to continue ignoring the violence in Kurram.
Persistent grip
22 Nov, 2024

Persistent grip

An audit of polio funds at federal and provincial levels is sorely needed, with obstacles hindering eradication efforts targeted.
Green transport
22 Nov, 2024

Green transport

THE government has taken a commendable step by announcing a New Energy Vehicle policy aiming to ensure that by 2030,...
Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...