Australia was the first team to announce the prelim squad for the ODI World Cup. There were a few surprises with some shocking omissions from the squad. On that note, here, we take a look at a strong Australia ODI playing XI not selected for the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. Before that, here is a look at the squad that has been selected.
Australia’s preliminary World Cup squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Openers: Usman Khawaja and Josh Philippe (WK)
Usman Khawaja will be one of the openers in this strong Australia ODI playing XI not selected for the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. Although there were better performers in the Marsh Cup, Khawaja made it to this squad due to his experience at the highest level. Philippe will keep wickets for this squad. The youngster was in good touch in the last seasons in List A cricket.
Middle-Order: Cameron Bancroft, Marnus Labuschagne and Ashton Turner
Marnus Labuschagne was one of the shocking omissions from the World Cup squad. It was mainly down to his recent form in ODIs. Nevertheless, he will bat at No.4 in this XI with Bancroft and Turner on either side. While Bancroft has been in good touch in List A cricket, Turner is an experienced name and is very consistent.
All-Rounders: Tim David and Daniel Sams
Tim David will also be a part of this strong Australia ODI playing XI not selected for the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. Although both these players are more inclined towards the T20 format, they have the skills to excel in ODIs. While Sams has done well in List A cricket, it might not be a bad idea to use David, as well, in the future.
Bowlers: Riley Meredith, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff and Nathan Lyon
This bowling line-up, especially the pace department, has been picked based on the statistics of the recent editions of the Marsh Cup. These bowlers also make it a balanced pace unit. To lead the spin attack, the best option we have is Nathan Lyon, who is currently recovering from an injury. His experience would have come in handy for the Aussies in India.
