Australia have completed their warm-up matches ahead of their World Cup opener against Afghanistan on June 1, but how close are they to knowing their best XI? Here are three key questions that remain to be answered.
Khawaja v Marsh
Barring injury, Usman Khawaja and Shaun Marsh cannot fit in the same XI now that David Warner and Steven Smith are back, so one will be carrying the drinks. Each have strong cases to make the cut, although if the most recent success carries weight then that favours Khawaja, who has scored 769 runs in 13 ODIs this year (more than any other player). He was shuffled around in the warm-up matches – batting in an unaccustomed No. 5 against West Indies then opening against Sri Lanka and making 89 – and has shaken off two injury scares (a blow on the head and the knee) during the preparation. The other debate with Khawaja, if he plays, is where he bats – either opening where he has forged a strong alliance with Aaron Finch or at No. 3 to allow Warner to return at the top. Marsh, meanwhile, could rightly feel hard-done by if he misses out having carried Australia’s batting during their one-day struggles with four centuries in eight innings against England, South Africa and India.
One spinner or two
The warm-up matches allowed teams to use more than eleven players so there was a chance for Adam Zampa and Nathan Lyon to get a good amount of work. During the camp in Brisbane, Finch said that Zampa was the No. 1 spinner given he provides an attacking option, but the ball has also been coming out nicely for Lyon since arriving in England. However, it’s tough for Australia to balance their side with three frontline quicks and play both frontline spinners – the only way would be to leave out a batsman, play Alex Carey at No. 6 and a collection of bowling allrounders. Glenn Maxwell’s bowling is shaping as an important part of the gameplan – good for a full quota if things go well – and he has previously spoken about the value of his stint with Lancashire earlier in the season. It was also interesting to see Smith given a twirl against West Indies and Sri Lanka, clearly Finch is trying to have as many options as he can. And could the captain be one himself? Remember that ODI against Pakistan in March when he took 1 for 41 off his 10 overs?
Who supports Starc and Cummins?
The big two are locked in, but in the absence of Josh Hazlewood and Jhye Richardson there remains a jostling for who the third quick will be between Nathan Coulter-Nile, Kane Richardson and Jason Behrendorff. They all bring something a little different; Coulter-Nile offers more batting, Richardson is known for his skills at the death and Behrendorff can be a threat if the new ball moves. Richardson was given both official warm-up matches although he was expensive against the Sri Lankans, Coulter-Nile took a pasting from Jos Buttler before claiming his wicket and Behrendorff collected 2 for 43 in his outing against England. It is likely that all will be needed at some stage of the tournament but it remains tricky to say who is the frontrunner.