Glenn Maxwell's form and fitness are promising for Australia as the big event approaches.
Australia, like a number of other teams, has been attempting to reach the World Cup starting line without any extra big setbacks in recent weeks. They’ve had to deal with a big injury list, but they’re almost there.
If a reminder was needed, the sight of David Warner bowling two overs of long hops and full tosses against Pakistan (albeit nearly conjuring a wicket that would have given him plenty of social media content) reinforced that it’s dangerous to read too much into the final stretch of preparation.
Before the match against the Netherlands, national selector George Bailey joked that if any Australians were in Kerala, they should come down for the game – for some players, there has been a risk of too much cricket, and it’s been all about getting to Chennai, where they face India on October 8.
While the score against Pakistan was essentially meaningless, there were a few factors that may not be overlooked in the coming weeks.
Glenn Maxwell's form and fitness are coming together.
Glenn Maxwell is crucial to Australia’s title ambitions, especially now that he is basically the second frontline spinner behind Adam Zampa. In Hyderabad, he hit a breezy 77 off 71 balls after a significant stint in the middle to test the toughness of his previously fractured leg, and then followed that up with a tidy eight overs.
“I suppose there’s always that weariness mentally – ‘how’s it going to go tonight?'” “Once I get moving, I’m fine,” Maxwell told reporters.
“These days, my warm-up is probably a little more structured.” I used to just go out here and go 100 percent and I was great. Now I have to do all the minor things that I avoided early in my career. But [today] I’m definitely thinking about how much time I spend out there warming up and what minor drills I have to do.”
Then there was Cameron Green’s crucial half-century, who has struggled with the bat for much of the year since the IPL. It was his first fifty since a 47-ball century for the Mumbai Indians in May.
The concussion he received in South Africa hampered preparations, but he appears to be in line ahead of Marcus Stoinis, who has not played in any of the warm-up games or the past two ODIs against India.
Another bonus for balancing the side is that fellow allrounder Mitchell Marsh has bowled in consecutive matches after not being employed at all against South Africa and India.
Alex Carey vs. Josh Inglis?
Alex Carey could have done with a large innings ahead of the event, but he was run out for 11. Apart from the 99 he scored in a crushing defeat at Centurion, he has been underwhelming with the bat, with only one other score of more than 20 against South Africa, India, and in these two warm-ups.
Australia is unlikely to abandon him, at least early in the tournament, because he provides a left-handed alternative in a right-handed-dominant batting order. Josh Inglis, on the other hand, demonstrated his adaptability with a brisk 48 off 30 balls in the final stages.
With preparations nearly complete and Australia working with 14 fit players until Travis Head recovers from his fractured hand, Australia’s XI to face India appears to be taking shape. Marnus Labuschagne has undoubtedly done enough to secure fourth place behind Warner, Marsh, and Steven Smith.
After a significant reliance on allrounders in the build-up, the focus has shifted back to the big three quicks – captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood – lining up together, but Sean Abbott remains a possibility if they want to prolong the batting at No. 8. With nine round-robin games and a heavy travel schedule, the complete squad is likely to be needed at some point.
