ODI World Cup: Glenn Maxwell makes 77, Marnus Labuschagne unleashes leg-spin, but still no Marcus Stoinis

Glenn Maxwell has found form with both bat and ball in Australia’s last warm-up before the World Cup, but again Marcus Stoinis was a non-starter.

Australia’s final World Cup warm-up match was a neat microcosm of the 13 white-ball games the Aussies have played since late August: an occasionally brilliant, periodically shambolic and generally curious mishmash.

The team has played enough limited-overs cricket across the past month and a bit to find red hot form, lose it dramatically, and then find some of it again. And that is just to get to the start line.

Glenn Maxwell, whose preparation for this event took him to South Africa, back to Australia and off to India and included an ankle flare-up and the birth of his first child, summed up the overriding sentiment.

“This date, the end of this game is probably one everyone’s been looking forward to the most and now our World Cup can finally start,” Maxwell said.

That the Aussies beat Pakistan by 14 runs in Hyderabad on Tuesday night is largely irrelevant. Australia was well on top before allowing its opponent back into the match by providing almost 15 overs of spin from the part-time Marnus Labuschagne, even more occasional Steve Smith, and David Warner, whose two overs (that went for 41) was double the figure he’d sent down across almost 15 years in one-day international cricket.

Glenn Maxwell made 77 from 71 balls in the warm-up match against Pakistan. Picture: NOAH SEELAM / AFP

This game was deeply unserious. Babar Azam smacked Australia’s long hops and full tosses to reach 90 from 59 balls, and then retired to give the lower order a go. There is a reason these games don’t count towards official stats.

Maxwell’s 77 from 71 balls and 1-34 from eight overs were among Tuesday’s positives, especially as he manages the lingering effects of the leg break he suffered late last year,

“There‘s always that wariness I suppose mentally – ’how’s it gonna go tonight?’ But once I get moving I’m absolutely fine,” Maxwell said.

“My warm-up‘s probably a little bit more structured these days. Have to do all those little things that I negated early in my career – I used to just run out here and go 100 per cent and I was fine. But probably (now) just a little bit more thought around how much time I spend out there in the warm up and certain little drills I have to do.”

That Mitch Marsh managed to get through seven overs, and that Cameron Green finally found touch with the bat – reaching 50 for the first time since the Indian Premier League season – are also heartening outcomes for Australia.

Elsewhere though there remain question marks. Labuschagne made an up-tempo 40 and took three wickets but also went at nine runs an over. With the bat, he has built a strong case to be included in the XI to face India in Chennai on Sunday, but it would be dangerous to rely on him for many overs while they wait for Travis Head’s flagged mid-tournament return.

Marcus Stoinis has not played in Australia’s last four matches leading into the World Cup. Picture: ARUN SANKAR / AFP

Among the most intriguing cases is that of Marcus Stoinis, who hasn’t featured in any of Australia’s past four matches.

That could mean one of two things: that he is being managed carefully after a heavy workload in South Africa, or that he is not in the Aussies’ plans for early in the tournament.

“I think he’s tracking all right, I think he’s going pretty well,” Maxwell said of his Melbourne Stars teammate.

“There’s a few sore bodies after a fair few tours, I suppose thrown in before the start of a World Cup. I think the South African tour was quite a busy hectic one as well as the three one-dayers against India, they were pretty quickly back to back.

“It’s a tough format one-day cricket. I think someone likened it to the amount of running that we go through in a one-dayer is quite similar to a footy game and we’re playing three footy games in just around a week. So it’s a lot to go through your body. So for those guys to be rested at different times, it’s no surprise.”

Then there is primary wicketkeeper Alex Carey, who has been unable to consolidate on the 99 he made at Centurion a few weeks ago. Against Pakistan He was run out for 11, while his understudy Josh Inglis made an inventive 48 off 30 balls down the order.

It too is a space worth watching.

Marnus deploys last-ditch bid for World Cup selection

Marnus Labuschagne has unleashed his part-time leg-spin in a bid to secure a spot in Australia’s team for its World Cup opener against India.

Labuschagne was an 11th-hour addition to the Aussies’ 15-man squad last week after Ashton Agar was withdrawn with a calf injury.

While Labuschagne’s threat primarily comes with the bat – particularly in the absence of the injured Travis Head for the early part of the tournament – he is also putting his hand up to bowl, providing an additional option for Australian skipper Pat Cummins.

Labuschagne had an extended bowl in the nets on Monday in Hyderabad and rolled the arm over in the middle before Australia’s final World Cup warm-up match against Pakistan on Tuesday night (Australian time).

Labuschagne was somewhat of a surprise inclusion in the squad. (Photo by Surjeet Yadav/Getty Images)

While Labuschagne picked up regular wickets early in his Test career, he has been used sparingly with the ball during Cummins’ Test captaincy.

While Labuschagne has also tried medium-pace and off-spin over the past couple of years, he has been focusing again on his leg-spin, which could be especially handy given Agar is out of the tournament and Head’s part-time offies will be unavailable through the early stages of the tournament.

Leg-spinner Adam Zampa and off-spinner Glenn Maxwell are Australia’s primary tweakers in their likely XI for the date with the hosts in Chennai.

Cummins won the toss against Pakistan, choosing to bat. The Aussies indicated they were planning on using more than XI players in the warm-up game, although the fact all-rounder Marcus Stoinis was listed among the reserves raised eyebrows given he has been used sparingly through Australia’s lead-up matches in India.

Pakistan did not list star wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan on its team sheet while Shadab Khan filled in as captain.

Originally published as ODI World Cup: Glenn Maxwell makes 77, Marnus Labuschagne unleashes leg-spin, but still no Marcus Stoinis