IND v AUS 2020: 'Picking the final XI is what keeps you awake at night' – Australian head coach Justin Langer
Just 48 hours remain for Australia to host India in the first game of the 3-match ODI series, and the Kangaroos' head coach Justin Langer is yet to finalise the playing XI. He has stated the depth in the Australian line-up has made him spoilt for choice.
Steve Smith didn’t feature in the ODI series against England in September this year owing to a concussion he suffered in training. But he is fit now, and Justin Langer said that the former Aussie skipper will come in for Mitchell Marsh, who injured his ankle at the start of IPL 2020.
“We’ll probably lean that way [picking Smith for Marsh] but we did learn and we’ve talked about in our foundation for one-day cricket going forward, we really like that extra bowling option...In England we had Mitch Marsh, Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell able to get us at least 10 overs.
“So we like that combination, the extra all-rounder. Obviously Steve will come straight back in and there’s some headaches but they’re good headaches,” Justin Langer was quoted as saying on cricket.com.au.
Justin Langer needs to pick either Moises Henriques or 21-year-old Cameron Green to play alongside Maxwell and Stoinis.
“Mo is very, very experienced. He’s in great form, deserves his opportunity back in the team on performance...Then you’ve got Cam Green, the youngster, 21 years old, huge potential...He bowled well in the nets yesterday."
“He’s a young fast bowler, he’s 200 cm, so we’re obviously very sensitive to his physical health – he’s had two stress fractures in the past. But he’s up and running, he’s bowling well and he’s certainly given us another option at the selection table that is really positive and exciting,” Justin Langer reasoned.
While Henriques smashed two hundreds for New South Wales at the Marsh Sheffield Shield recently, Green registered a career-high score of 197 against Henriques’ side.
‘It’s a great problem to have,’ says Justin Langer on selection headaches
Steve Smith will replace Mitchell Marsh in the playing XI from the last ODI against England, with another all-rounder to be included in the team as well. That means Justin Langer would have to leave out one of his frontline batsmen, and he hinted at Marnus Labuschagne being the one.
“Every time he [Marnus] plays he impresses more when he walks out to the middle...It’s a great problem to have. Picking the final XI is what keeps you awake at night because it’s hard to pick 13 or 14 deserved players into 11 spots. Whatever team we put on the park we think is going to be a good team,” Justin Langer concluded.
Australia will play 3 ODIs and as many T20Is against India in Sydney and Canberra, before moving on to the 4-Test series which starts with a pink-ball game at the Adelaide Oval on December 17.