With a place in the final of the Carlton Mid-ODI Tri-Series already booked, Australians will be looking to experiment with their playing XI for Monday’s clash against India at the SCG, according to the Australian coach Darren Lehmann.
The hosts will be looking to make more changes after their tensed win against England at Hobart. The batting order is expected to experience a major shakeup. George Bailey will return as will David Warner, who missed the match against England due to sore hamstring. Mitchell Marsh is also expected to be available for selection after making 38 from 48 balls for his club. According to Darren Lehmann “Warner will be fine, he’ll come back in. Watson, we’ll just see how he goes at training tomorrow.” He also said that, “We want to get everyone 100% fit for the final and the world cup, so there could be some changes again, and we could bat guys in different positions this game.”
Steve Smith replaced a suspended George Bailey as the captain against England. He came out to bat at no. 3 and played a match wining 102, chasing a total of 304 and became the first player ever to score centuries on the captaincy debut in both Test and ODI cricket. Speaking about whether Smith would continue to bat at no. 3 Lehmann said “It depends on who we’re playing and where we’re playing. The bonus is he’s very flexible, as all our players are and that’s what we need in our World Cup and one-day setup.”
Australia is also expected to bring back their bowling spearhead Mitchell Johnson who was recovering from hamstring soreness. Lehmann expects him to bowl at the pace which we know he bowls at. Lehmann said “He will be fine now with that sort of a break. I’m excited to see how he’s bowling, and that’s the exciting thing and hopefully he’s back to full fitness and full pace.”
It will be exciting to see the changes that the National Selection Panel makes as these changes might be vital for the final of the series and for the world cup.
Edited by Shivang Aggarwal
