World Cup’s Plan B

Others must step up if Smith, Warner out

AUSTRALIA is preparing to mount a World Cup defence without banned batsmen David Warner and Steve Smith as they continue to recover from elbow surgery and with no return date set.

Aussie one-day captain Aaron Finch said the upcoming one-day series against India then Pakistan provided the opportunity for batsmen to “challenge” for the spots that would go the pair’s way should they not return.

Warner and Smith both had elbow surgery in January and neither will be immediately available for Australia when their bans expire on March 28.

They are, however, likely to be ready for the Indian Premier League, and then Australia’s final World Cup warm-up games first in Brisbane and then England. But Finch said every batsman in the ODI squad for the five games against India and then Pakistan should be playing as if the spots of Warner and Smith remain open.

“We’re seeing Davey (Warner) have some elbow surgery recently, and Steve (Smith), so it’s important for that to be in the back of your mind as well,” Finch said before the first of two T20 games against India.

“If things don’t go 100 per cent right with the rehab or they have some complications with it and they’re not back in time, it’s a huge opportunity for guys to step up and almost cement their place going forward for the next little while.”

Australia has won just four of its past 20 ODIs, and lost its most recent series 2-1 to India.

Selectors showed a clear change of thinking in that series, bringing in batsmen Peter Handscomb and Usman Khawaja, and leaving out bighitter Chris Lynn.

Finch said the team showed enough signs of improvement in those three games including a win in Adelaide, to be confident about being in contention at the World Cup in June.

“”I think in the series at home, against India, we improved a lot from the series before,” he said.

“There was a great progression made in where we want to be going over the next few months in particular.”