Australia may include exciting all-rounder Cameron Green or clever death bowler Nathan Ellis in their Twenty20 World Cup squad following the freak golf injury to reserve wicketkeeper Josh Inglis.
While the lively gloveman and versatile batter would not have been picked for Australia’s opening match against New Zealand at the SCG on Saturday evening, with Matthew Wade the regular keeper, it creates a conundrum for coach Andrew McDonald and his fellow selectors.
Cameron Green batting against the West Indies earlier this month.Credit:Getty Images
While McDonald has not yet fully committed to replacing Inglis, it appears highly unlikely he will be able to continue after a six-iron snapped and slashed his right hand playing golf with teammates on Wednesday.
Big Bash League stars Josh Philippe and Ben McDermott and Test and one-day gloveman Alex Carey were also mentioned by McDonald but they appear a less-favoured option.
“If you look back over World Cup selections there’s been plenty of times where Australia have gone with one frontline keeper in the squad, and I think that’s just gives greater flexibility to batting and bowling structures within the team,” McDonald said before training at the SCG on Thursday.
McDonald mentioned opener David Warner and Aaron Finch as possible replacements behind the stumps if the selectors decide against a reserve keeper and Wade was unable to keep in any of the matches. He also joked towering fast bowler Mitchell Starc would be a chance given Starc began his junior career as a keeper.
Despite not being part of Australia’s 15-man World Cup squad, Green played six of Australia’s recent lead-up T20 matches opening the batting, and bowled in all but one of them.
He succeeded at the top of the order during a three-game tour of India, scoring two half-centuries, but managed scores of 14, 1 and 1 in Australia against the West Indies and England.
Ellis impressed during his only T20 international this season, dragging back England in Perth after a flying start. Alex Hales and Jos Buttler had an opening partnership of 132 in just 11.2 overs, but Ellis dismissed Buttler and claimed 3-20 from his four overs of varied medium pace. This allowed Australia to get within eight runs of England’s 208.
McDonald made it clear Green would not be an automatic selection if he came into the squad, but it could give Australia the option of moving Finch down the order again, where he spent most of the lead-up matches.
Nathan Ellis celebrates a wicket against England in Perth, where he took 3-20.Credit:Getty Images
Finch’s only official half century in 14 T20I and ODI innings this season was a relatively sedate 58 in a low-scoring run chase against the West Indies on the Gold Coast, before blazing 76 from 54 balls in a practice match against India at the Gabba on Monday.
“We had all-rounders that are in doubt in Marcus Stoinis and Mitch Marsh,” McDonald explained as the reason for shuffling the batting order.
“So as those pieces started to come back online, we were able to restabilise what things would look like in a perfect world with all 11 players getting there [fit].
“But we also had to plan and prepare around the fact that if we didn’t have Marcus and Mitch Marsh and we wanted to play seven batters, Cameron Green was going to be a key player around that.
Josh Inglis batting against India last month.Credit:Getty Images
“So where was he going to fit? We felt as though he fitted at the top better. And then Aaron sacrificed his spot there to go to four.
“We always knew that Aaron Finch was going to be in the team, but what would it look like if Marcus Stoinis and Mitch Marsh weren’t there?”
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