Marcus Stoinis or Marnus Labuschagne - who should Glenn Maxwell replace for Australia's 2023 World Cup semi-final vs South Africa?
Australia finally have a full contingent to select from for the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup semi-final encounter against South Africa, after a campaign riddled with injuries. From Steve Smith's vertigo to Mitchell Marsh's personal leave, and most recently Glenn Maxwell's cramps, the Aussies have always had to compromise on their playing XI.
Luckily, their squad depth coupled with key individuals being in red-hot form, helped them diffuse the situation with nary a hiccup. Australia are among the most in-form teams in the tournament, with their last defeat coming against their upcoming semi-final opponents in the formative stages of the tournament.
Australia have raked up some impressive wins along the way, wrapping up the league stage with a comprehensive win over Bangladesh in Pune. Heading into the business end of the tournament, they have a massive selection headache that needs dealing with.
Pat Cummins had named Sean Abbott and Steve Smith back into the playing XI at the expense of Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Starc, with the latter being rested. The left-arm seamer is bound to replace Abbott in the playing XI without a doubt, but the real question remains, how do Australia fit in Glenn Maxwell back into the playing XI?
The all-rounder has been in tremendous form, notching two hundreds already in the tournament, with one of them being a historic double century against Afghanistan. Steve Smith will retain his spot at No. 4, and so will Josh Inglis as the first-choice wicketkeeper.
That leaves only two realistic entities that can be axed in order for Glenn Maxwell to come back, it is the middle-order stalwarts - Marcus Stoinis and Marnus Labuschagne.
On that note, let us take a look at who among the aforementioned pair of players should Glenn Maxwell replace for Australia's 2023 World Cup semifinal vs South Africa.
#1 Form and impact
Australia have peaked at the right time in the tournament, and it is often the key to eventual success. The Aussies do have several players in good form like Adam Zampa, David Warner, and Mitchell Marsh.
However, the likes of Marnus Labuschagne and Marcus Stoinis have also been doing their jobs on the sidelines, making the Australian unit work like clockwork.
Labuschagne, who was initially snubbed for the tournament, has enjoyed a decent campaign, scoring 286 runs in eight innings at an average of 35.75. He scored fifties in the team's wins over the Netherlands and England but did not avail a chance to bat against Bangladesh, with the top-order wrapping up the job themselves.
Stoinis, on the other hand, has played six matches in the campaign, compiling a set of cameos down the order and chipping in with four wickets, including two timely strikes in their win over Pakistan.
Impact-wise, Stoinis definitely offers more as a solid all-round option and his ability to turn the game around in a few overs.
Truth be told, their impact depends on the situation. Should a situation arise where Australia's top-order falters, then Labuschagne will be the go-to man, much like in the series opener against South Africa not so long ago.
However, should the top order fire as usual, then Stoinis brings more to the table in terms of impact in the closing stages of the innings.
#2 Balance
Australia currently have four frontline bowlers - Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Adam Zampa. The fifth and sixth bowling options are generally filled in by all-rounders like Glenn Maxwell or Travis Head.
Should a predicament arise, where Australia need a fourth seam-bowling option, they have to turn to either Mitchell Marsh or Marcus Stoinis. The former has only bowled on a sporadic basis in the tournament so far, bowling 11 overs compared to Stoinis' 19 overs.
What sets Stoinis apart here is his knack of breaking partnerships. His spell against Pakistan is enough to make his case. The Men in Green were cruising along in their run-chase attempt, with opening batters Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq scoring freely.
The all-rounder came into the attack, broke the budding 134-run opening stand, and dismissed both openers in the space of a couple of overs. While the tactic may not always land the same way, it is at least good to have such an option up the sleeve.
Labuschagne's presence in the playing XI as an additional specialist batter offers stability. He is very well capable of batting with lower-order batters and has a solid record against South Africa.
In contrast to the lesser of the two evils, Australia have to choose the brighter of the two boons in this case.
Logic does dictate that the Men in Yellow tilt towards an all-round option instead of a specialist batter considering the form that the top-order batters are in.
#3 Role suitability
The return of Travis Head into the scheme of things after injury has altered the Australian batting order significantly. The middle-order batters have had to drop a spot each, with Mitchell Marsh settling into No. 3, Smith at No. 4, Labuschagne at No. 5, and so on.
Labuschagne arguably is not the ideal candidate to bat at No. 5 for the team, especially in a scenario where the team are off to a good start and a similar tempo needs to be maintained, if not higher. The right-handed batter has only played five innings at No. 5, the most recent outing coming in the high-scoring encounter against New Zealand. He struggled for rhythm and ended up scoring only 18 runs off 26 deliveries.
Stoinis and Maxwell are far better choices to play at No. 5, preferably in a situation where the team are well off. The latter, in particular, has played 43 times at No .5, amassing 1330 runs at a strike rate of 125.24.
The batting position of the Inglis-Stoinis-Maxwell does not necessarily be need to set in stone. The positions can be interchangeable, although Maxwell is likely to get precedence on the basis of reputation as well as his red-hot form.
Labuschagne's presence sticks out like a sore thumb in this particular middle-order-lower middle-order blueprint.
Who do you think Australia will drop among Marnus Labuschagne and Marcus Stoinis to accommodate Glenn Maxwell? Let us know what you think.