After a disastrous comeback to the Australian squad, Steve Smith was easily dismissed after squandering a review on a plumb lbw.
Aaron Finch, who was a part of an ageing top order that struggled in the Super 12s, will not be the least of the selectors’ concerns. For the 2024 competition, Finch and David Warner will both be 37, Glenn Maxwell and Steve Smith will be 35, while Marcus Stoinis will be 34.
Mark Taylor, a former captain, stated that although performance will ultimately determine who advanced to 2024, he thought it was time to bring in new blood.
Taylor remarked that he didn’t think a 37-year-old could play T20 cricket at the highest level. “It could be great for show, but at the highest level, you want kids playing this game.”
These included inconsistent play, keeping the same team from the previous World Cup for this one, the lack of runs at the top of the order from Finch, Warner, or on Friday night Green, and the balance of bowlers chosen.
In a squad that is primarily comprised of the same quick bowlers who also play for Australia in Test cricket, the absence of a standout death bowling specialist has been particularly detrimental.
Many people, including former captain Michael Clarke, Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott, and Taylor—who would have omitted Test and one-day international skipper Pat Cummins—were perplexed by Starc’s exclusion.
One of the most reliable bowler of Australian attack, Starc was left out as part of a “tactical decision”, assistant coach Dan Vettori said. His replacement Kane Richardson was battered, taking 1-48 from four overs.
“It was more about the effectiveness of [Josh] Hazlewood and [Pat] Cummins at the top, and their ability to take the new ball and be wicket-takers,” Vettori said.
“Therefore that pushed Starcy into a different role, and he came up against Kane Richardson, and it was thought amongst the hierarchy that Kane was exceptional at the death, and so to utilise him there as opposed to Mitch.”
There, consistency is rewarded with wickets, but in T20, it might resemble predictability. This tension was demonstrated by Starc being dropped for the Afghanistan game and then shuffled into the middle overs.