Australia’s top order is finally firing on all six cylinders

A few short weeks ago, Australia’s World Cup defence looked shot. Now, selectors face the unenviable task of dropping players from a team that’s won eight on the trot.

Aaron Finch holds the trophy after leading Australia to a 5-0 series win over Pakistan. Picture: Getty Images

Cyclone Warner was raging in the IPL. In the UAE, the rising tide of the Australian side elevated all and sundry to their eighth consecutive win.

In the Sheffield Shield final, the reassembled James Pattinson bowled up a storm alongside the relentless Peter Siddle.

The iron’s hot, but the World Cup is two months away.

Next week, selectors sit down to choose the World Cup squad and sort the contract list. This week began with an embarrassment of riches, the likes of which are rarely seen.

In Dubai, the one-day team completed a five-nil series sweep against Pakistan, which followed a come-from-behind series win against India.

The top order is firing on all six cylinders. If there’s frailty, it is not apparent.

Captain Aaron Finch emerged from a dark place into the light. He accumulated 451 runs at an ­average of 112 in the Pakistan­ ­series, scored two centuries and two half-centuries. His captaincy complemented his batting.

Finch has fashioned himself a fine team and his pride was apparent in a social media post.

“What an unbelievable couple of months it’s been!,” he said. “From being 0-2 against India and fighting back and winning shows the resilience and courage of this group of players.”

The captain has brought the others with him.

Coach Justin Langer reckons Glenn Maxwell has finally found the portal and is capable of rivalling Virat Kohli. The lower-order batsman agrees that he has ­discovered the trick to exploiting opportunities in situations where you may need to guide the side away from the rocks or man the turntables on the deck for a party. His four innings produced three half-centuries, included a 98, his 258 runs came at a strike rate of 140.

Usman Khawaja hit three half-centuries, Shaun Marsh two. If Alex Carey and Peter Handscomb didn’t cash in, it was ­because time at the crease was generally limited. Nathan Lyon and Adam Zampa played all five games without facing a ball.

With David Warner and Steve Smith ready to come back, choosing two to miss out means that someone, as Langer admits, will be “brutally unlucky”.

It’s easy enough to put a line through Ashton Turner, who has not been a regular part of the starting XI. But who else in the current squad makes way is the burning question. It would appear to be between Marsh and Peter Handscomb. Marsh has scored four centuries in the format in the past 12 months, Handscomb one as recently as the India series, where he was sublime.

Handscomb has the advantage of being able to keep wicket should something happen to Alex Carey. Marcus Stoinis is among the vulnerable, but an allrounder is generally considered essential.

The bowling has been outstanding in India and against Pakistan; Pat Cummins living up to his ranking as the best in the world, Zampa rising to meet the need for a wrist spinner.

The accepted wisdom is that Mitchell Starc will be called into the squad and Josh Hazlewood will be left behind to ensure he is completely fit for the Ashes.

And there’s Warner, bashing his way back into the dressing room like Jack Nicholson’s character in The Shining.

Back at the IPL, which he loves, he had churned out scores of 85 and 69 before Sunday night’s undefeated 100. He looks, literally, to be scoring runs for fun, launching balls into the crowd with a smile on his face.

“The 12 months have done me well,” he said, gasping for air ­between innings. The notion, too, that some form of baggage from the ban will cause problems is rendered slightly redundant by the sight of Warner and former sparring partner Jonny Bairstow opening the batting together for Hyderabad. Their 185 stand on Sunday was the highest in the competition’s history.

In 2017-18 the English media was full of dark whispering about conflict between the two after Warner blew the whistle on the silly headbutt affair in the first Test.

They may not be close mates but they have peeled off three century partnerships in three ­innings.

Warner’s comeback creates a problem now that Finch and Khawaja have settled in as openers. Langer has even floated the prospect that Warner, traditionally an opener, could move to first drop, but admits any combination of the three is possible.

“Aaron has had a really good partnership with David Warner as well,” Langer said.

“This partnership’s blossoming between Aaron and Uzzie at the moment. They (Finch and Khawaja) did it in the Test series as well (against Pakistan in ­October), they seem to gel really well. They’re both pretty chilled out and I think they work really well together.

“I think it’s a positive thing.

“David has shown he’s a very versatile player, Uzzie’s batted three a number of times, Finchy’s batted in the middle order.

“Versatility’s important.”

LIKELY AUSTRALIAN SQUAD: Aaron Finch (c), Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Shaun Marsh/Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa.