Former Australian top-order batsman Simon Katich conceded that it’s going to be a strenuous task for the team to select the top for the forthcoming ICC World Cup 2019. He added it’s the balance which the Kangaroos will be looking at.
“The balance with the batting line-up is what they need to get right,” IANS quoted Katich as saying.
The twelfth edition of the mega ICC event will get underway on May 30 when hosts England will lock horns with South Africa led by Faf du Plessis. Meanwhile, the Kennington Oval Stadium in London will host the opening game between the two heavyweights of the game.
Katich feels it will be the toughest call to make with Steven Smith and David Warner making a return for the world cricket’s prestigious event scheduled in the United Kingdom.
Australia will embrace experience: Katich
However, in the same breath, he feels the inclusion of duo will bring stability within the Playing XI in a bid to defend their title which they won in 2015 against New Zealand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
“They will welcome back the experience of Smith and Warner,” Katich added.
Katich believes the crucial part for the management is to ponder over on how to fix the top four. He added it’s not going to be easy call with Warner and Smith already proving their mettle.
“They are both quality players and their records speak for themselves. The hard part is the Australian team has a problem of plenty particularly in the top four. Both of them are top four players. There is (Usman) Khawaja, (Aaron) Finch, Shaun Marsh, and the two and these guys will try to fit into four slots. Then there is (Glenn) Maxwell, (Marcus) Stoinis. It’s going to be a tough selection call,” said Katich.
The duo has faced wrath following their indirect involvement in the ball-tampering sage which unfolded in March during the third and penultimate Test at Cape Town between hosts Proteas and Australia.
Following the fast track investigation, the duo has admitted the folly before being handed over a 12-month sanction with besieged ball-tamperer – Cameron Bancroft serving the nine-month ban from Cricket Australia (CA).
Warner in a rich vein of the form:
Besides, in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) Warner has been in ominous touch. The southpaw ended up as the league’s leading run-getter with 692 runs in just 12 matches. He returned to Australia to join the World Cup-bound 15-man squad. While representing the IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Warner’s supreme show saw him slamming eight half-centuries and a hundred.
On the other side, Smith also led Rajasthan Royals (RR) in five games after regular skipper Ajinkya Rahane faced an axe as a leader. Former Australian skipper managed to score 319 runs at an average of 39.87 in 12 matches.
Thus, both turned out to feature in the recently-culminated warm-up fixtures (three) against New Zealand at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane.
In their World Cup opener, Australia will face Afghanistan on June 1st.