Low-score Maxwell gets axed from series

OPENER Aaron Finch says Glenn Maxwell’s axing from Australia’s one-day international cricket squad shows that almost no one is safe.

Australia’s 2015 ODI player of the year has been dumped for the five-game series against Sri Lanka, which starts tomorrow in Colombo after a run of low scores.

“Besides the skipper (Steve Smith), no one else is really guaranteed a spot in the side,” Finch said. “You have to perform all the time. You just have to keep getting the business done and if you don’t, there’s always someone breathing down your neck for your spot.”

Finch’s former housemate Maxwell has scored 0, 6, 0, 0, 3, 46 not out and 4 in his past seven hits at ODI level since the home summer.

Victoria’s Finch nominated 22-year-old Travis Head from South Australia, who made his ODI debut in the West Indies in June, as a rising star.

“When you’ve got young guys performing well, Travis Head to go to England and get 175 (for Yorkshire) and play well in the last domestic oneday summer, there’s always someone breathing down your neck,” Finch said.

“So you have to be performing all the time, or have a real lot of credits in the bank.”

Following the 3-0 loss in the Test series on Wednesday, Smith’s men had a rest on Thursday and assembled yesterday at Colombo’s Premadasa Stadium for their first training session together.

Finch said he and the five other new arrivals – George Bailey, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa, James Faulkner and Head – would try to add some energy to a squad that has been beaten down by Sri Lanka’s spinners.

“The guys are very disappointed with the Test series and how that went,” Finch said. So the fresh guys coming in for the one-dayers, it’s our job to really pick up the energy and start at training.

“But we’re still very confident coming into this one-day series.”