Why Short, Lynn are on the nose

T20 specialists D’Arcy Short and Chris Lynn are stranded outside Australia’s World Cup plans because they have little experience batting in the middle order.

Captain Aaron Finch said Australia would select middleorder blasters such as Ashton Turner and Ben McDermott over players that have plundered plenty of runs at the top.

Australia’s top four batsmen are locked in one year out from hosting the T20 World Cup — Finch, David Warner, Ashes hero Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell.

That means BBL six machines including Marcus Stoinis (Stars), Matthew Wade, Short (Hurricanes) and Lynn (Heat) are at long odds to even crack into the squad.

“Stoinis had a great Big Bash last year, but that was at the top of the order,” Finch said. “Glenn Maxwell’s record in the top three for Australia is extraordinary, I feel I’ve got a pretty good record and so does Davey Warner.

“Stoinis, Chris Lynn, D’Arcy Short — they’re all in the same boat. I think we made the mistake a while ago of just picking the guys with the most runs. If you’ve got top-order players batting in the middle order it’s a totally foreign environment. It’s a bit more rolespecific.”

Maxwell’s fireworks at No.4 sank India in a two-game T20 series in February and Finch said Australia would use its 20 lead-in fixtures to build chemistry in a format Australia has never excelled in.

The Aussies — who have never won a T20 World Cup — have studied how cohesion has correlated with success for franchises Perth Scorchers, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians.

Asked if Stoinis, Lynn and Short should bat in the middle order this BBL season to boost their World Cup hopes, Finch said: “It’s not up for me to decide how each team structures up. But I think we’re looking for really specific roles from our T20 players.” Tickets are on sale today at t20worldcup.com