Steve Smith and David Warner offered instant shot at World Cup redemption
The stage is now set for David Warner and Steve Smith. English crowds and rival players will be quick to remind them of their previous failings — their ticket to redemption with the Australian public will be born out of their bats, writes Sam Landsberger.
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Australia has shown the ultimate faith in Steve Smith and David Warner.
They have won World Cup selection and Cricket Australia contracts almost immediately after their 12-month ball tampering bans expired.
Now it is over to them to repay the faith by winning Australia its sixth World Cup.
Smith and Warner have walked into a squad that is suddenly humming after back-to-back series wins on the road, against India and Pakistan.
The stage is set for them. Amid a backdrop of sledging and taunting — from both fans and rival players — their ticket to redemption with the Australian public will be born out of their bats.
Host nation and tournament favourite England will set a fast-paced tempo with a batting frenzy expected.
England have posted totals in excess of 300 in more than 40 per cent of their matches since Australia lifted the 2015 trophy.
The Aussies have scored at a run a ball in the 50-over game in about 25 per cent of games in the same time frame.
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Six-machines Chris Lynn and D’Arcy Short fell out of favour during the summer and, with a run-fest tipped, it will be over to Smith and Warner to help captain Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja power Australia to mega totals.
The reintegration of the banned pair has meant heartbreak for Peter Handscomb and Ashton Turner, although Turner shouldn’t be overly surprised given he didn’t feature in the 5-0 series against Pakistan.
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But Handscomb would feel particularly unlucky after his 117 (105) against India in Mohali last month.
Turner iced that game with a remarkable unbeaten 84 (43) and yet both he and Handscomb have missed the cut.
When Handscomb — an excellent player of spin — was thrown into Australia’s new-look ODI squad in January there was a belief he was only keeping Smith’s seat warm and that is how it has played out.
Without Turner’s finishing power it will be largely left to all-rounders Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell to drive up the run-rate in the final 10 overs.
For Warner, his selection was obvious … even if his public image has suffered the most.
The blazing opener has crunched three half-centuries and one century in the Indian Premier League.
He looks every bit the destructive opener that will invoke fear in opposition attacks.
But Smith’s selection was slightly curious given his nagging elbow injury and slightly less powerful ODI record.
The former captain is struggling to throw with his elbow still a fair way from fully healing.
Josh Hazlewood’s omission will sting the frontline quick.
Hazlewood has resumed bowling off one or two steps and recently declared himself fit for selection, adamant the World Cup would be the perfect lead-in to the Ashes.
But selectors have preferred youngster Jhye Richardson as the new ball partner for Mitchell Starc after a glittering start to his international career.
English conditions should suit Richardson and history says Australia only needs two of its ‘Big Three’ — Starc, Hazlewood and Pat Cummins — to dominate.
Since the 2015 World Cup, the Aussies are 19-10 (65.5 per cent) when two of ‘The Big Three’ play and 10-24 (29.4 per cent) when none of them do.
Cummins and Starc power-up the tail, too.
England has long rolled out a leg-spinner and an off-spinner combination in Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali and Australia has mirrored that with Adam Zampa and Nathan Lyon.
England’s tweakers are better equipped with the bat and twin spin is a relatively new concept for Australia, which won in 2015 with an all-pace attack.
Spinner Xavier Doherty was in the squad although rarely played and it will be interesting to see how many games Lyon and Zampa bowl in tandem.
AUSTRALIA’S 2019 WORLD CUP SQUAD:
Aaron Finch (c)
Jason Behrendorff
Alex Carey (wk)
Nathan Coulter-Nile
Pat Cummins
Usman Khawaja
Nathan Lyon
Shaun Marsh
Glenn Maxwell
Jhye Richardson
Steve Smith
Mitchell Starc
Marcus Stoinis
David Warner
Adam Zampa
AUSTRALIA’S WORLD CUP FIXTURES:
May 25: (warm-up) England v Australia, Southampton
May 27: (warm-up) Australia v Sri Lanka, Southampton
June 1: Afghanistan v Australia, Bristol (D/N)
June 6: Australia v West Indies, Trent Bridge
June 9: India v Australia, The Oval
June 12: Australia v Pakistan, Taunton
June 15: Sri Lanka v Australia, The Oval
June 20: Australia v Bangladesh, Trent Bridge
June 25: England v Australia, Lord’s
June 29: New Zealand v Australia, Lord’s (D/N)
July 6: Australia v South Africa, Old Trafford (D/N)
July 9: Semi-Final 1, Old Trafford
July 11: Semi-Final 2, Edgbaston
Originally published as Steve Smith and David Warner offered instant shot at World Cup redemption
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