WARNIE’S FIX FOR AUSSIE CRICKET
IN YOUR SPECIAL LIFTOUT TODAY
AWorld Cup and the Ashes are the two biggest things you can have as an Australian cricketer. That makes this home summer so big, because they are both happening next year and now, more than ever, there are so many spots up for grabs. If you are a young Australian batsman, what a time to come out and play amazing cricket and work your butt off to be the best version of yourself to take every opportunity, whether it’s a Sheffield Shield game, a one-day game, a Big Bash game — whatever the game, you have to find a way to find form. And if you do, you could find yourself on a plane to England, spending four months playing in a World Cup (from late May) and an Ashes series (from August). The World Cup is something super special — I was lucky enough to win one, and we lost a final as well. It’s like the Olympics of one-day cricket: it only comes around once every four years and it’s all about being in form. Every one-day game leading up to a World Cup becomes important. The first thing you need to do as a team is have your style of play down pat. Second, I don’t believe you should be trying a lot of different players. You should work out yourur best team and try to play together in as many games as possible leading in.
You start to learn where your bowlers bowl best, who fields where — so it becomes automatic — batsmen learn to bat together, run between the wickets, and you get a feel for each other.
Just hanging out together, in the dressingrooms, team hotels, learning to get along, that is super important, too.
Settling on that best team is one thing you can try to do now, and I believe there are a few must-picks, and the best Australia team will look nothing like the one that went down 5-0 to England in June.
Steve Smith and Dave Warner get straight back in when they are available because they are two of the top five players in the world.
Their history, their pedigree, their class, what they bring to the team, the fear factor for the opposition, the way they impose themselves on the game; they are locks.
But there are other guys you have to pick, and you can pick them this summer.
Aaron Finch is my choice as captain — I’d like to see him captain all forms of the game.
His one-day and T20 cricket is outstanding and if he can seize his opportunity in the Test team, I believe he has a lot to offer in red-ball cricket.
Captaincy is such a crucial element, especially in a World Cup, and I like his captaincy style — he’s a must-pick.
Alex Carey and Marcus Stoinis can play all summer and cement their spots, and Mitch Starc is the best death bowler in world cricket, Andrew Tye’s variations could be so important and Nathan Lyon is underused in whiteball cricket.
He has been picked in the national T20 team, which is good, and he needs to be in the one-day team.
Iam so excited about the six ODIs against South Africa and India, the Tests, and the opportunity they provide to launch into everything that’s happening next year. But it’s a two-fold scenario. There are opportunities for the guys I think should be in the team to cement their spots, but they shouldn’t take anything for granted.
With so much cricket to be played, including Sheffield Shield and Big Bash, there are no guarantees for anyone.
Even if my “must-picks” don’t find form, they are out.
If other players leap out with their performances and demand to be picked, senior players and big-name players might find themselves out of the team.
That’s where we are in Australian cricket right now, especially with such a big year coming up.
I have no problem with guys losing their spots if they don’t perform.
Australia doesn’t have a great recent record in one-day cricket and I don’t think teams fear us any more.
With our batting being average at the moment, probably as weak overall as it has been in a long time, that doesn’t help that aura.
It’s why this summer is so huge for the Australian team, because they have to get back the respect of the world cricket community and the respect of the AuAustralian public after what haphappened in South Africa.
But they also have to create that fear from other teams,t the fear they used to create,cre that helped Australia be so dominant at World Cups.
TheT only way they can do that is by playing some bloody googood cricket — they need to starstart to play dynamic cricket agaagain, winning everything, and teateams will start to fear them agaagain.
South Africa and India are a ggreat lead-in for what’s to cocome in 2019, and a massive, mmassive summer in itself.
WITH SO MUCH CRICKET TO BE PLAYED, THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES. IF MY ‘MUST PICKS’ DON’T FIND FORM, THEY ARE OUT