Ahead of a huge T20 year, Australia have to whittle down an embarrassment of riches

NICK FRIEND: With home advantage and a wealth of options, few would bet against Australia winning their maiden T20 World Cup in a year’s time if – and it’s a big if – the right players are involved

“It makes it more difficult, there’s no doubt about that,” Justin Langer admitted ahead of Australia’s T20I series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

“Traditionally, Australian selectors have always picked straight out of the Australian domestic system. Having said that, we don’t live in a traditional world anymore.”

A year out from a home T20 World Cup, that is where Australia are at; awash with options and yet, somewhat unsure of how best to exploit them.

On the face of it, it is difficult to argue with the 14-man squad picked by Trevor Hohns’ team of selectors for this twin instalment of early-season contests. It is a party that features some of Australia’s finest cricketers of all time: David Warner, Steve Smith, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc are involved.

It feels, however, like a missed opportunity. There is a school of thought that extends well beyond the selections of Cricket Australia that suggests a distrust and a lack of appreciation for those whose careers now centre themselves around the global T20 franchise circuit.

There is an inherent suspicion among national setups that a tournament based in Canada simply cannot be taken seriously, that a 10-over slog-fest consigned to a November fortnight in Abu Dhabi cannot provide requisite preparation for international cricket, that the competition that matters most in discussions of selection must be the local offering.

Chris Lynn, the Brisbane Heat batsman and one member of the self-appointed ‘Bash Bros’ duo alongside Brendon McCullum, spoke out in his frustration at the manner of his exclusion from this squad. He has not represented his country for a year and, in truth, his record in Australian colours is poor at this point; he has never passed 44.

Frankly, Lynn’s hopes of being selected in this particular squad always appeared unlikely; he has hardly played in recent months, owing chiefly to the cancellations of the Euro T20 Slam and the Afghanistan Premier League, both of which the 29-year-old had been due to take part in. Back at home, he is not even part of Queensland’s white-ball plans for this season.

He was signed up at the draft for The Hundred by former national team coach Darren Lehmann’s Northern Superchargers, but the fact remains that – until he faced Sri Lanka as part of a Prime Minister’s XI earlier in the week – his only cricket since the Indian Premier League for Kolkata Knight Riders came in the Global T20 Canada. Representing Winnipeg Hawks, only JP Duminy, Heinrich Klaasen and Shaiman Anwar scored more runs in the entire competition.

His absence, thus, is more than understandable. Brad Hogg and Mark Waugh have both been critical of his public venting, while Langer stated that Lynn was “crystal clear” on why he was not part of his squad, though would not go into detail on the matter.

As a top-order batsman, of course, there is no shortage of options; Aaron Finch captains the side, while Warner, Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Alex Carey provide a brutal nucleus.

Hohns explained of Lynn: “We haven't considered him at the moment. Chris isn't playing any cricket locally or within Australia. Sure he's been travelling the world playing T20 cricket.

“If he performs well in the upcoming Big Bash, of course we can revisit that. I haven't spoken to Chris at all yet. To be honest, I don't know if he's in the country.”

^{Chris Lynn was dismissed cheaply for a Prime Minister's XI against Sri Lanka}

There is a far deeper point here than the case study of Lynn who, given his recent lack of cricket, is a perfectly reasonable omission. It is Hohns’ line on the importance afforded to the Big Bash and the relative blind eye turned to all else; perhaps the BBL holds greater relevance this year, given that the T20 World Cup will take place on the same home soil.

Yet, it is a short-sighted approach. Speaking to The Cricketer, former England allrounder Ravi Bopara reinforced that view.

“I think it does go under the radar,” he said of the attitude of national setups to the franchise T20 circuit.

“Franchise cricket is tough. It really is tough. You’re playing against serious overseas cricketers – four or sometimes five in a team, with the best domestic players from that country.

“It’s condensed. They are the best of the best. To perform well in those, you have to be doing something well. I don’t know why it doesn’t get looked at more.”

It would be wrong to say that Chris Green has suffered from this perspective; his rise has been somewhat meteoric in the last 18 months.

He has been in close discussion with the Australian selectors about his own existence as a potential international cricketer.

The 26-year-old has only played eight List A matches in his entire career, having forged himself a niche as among the canniest off-spinners in the circuit.

Australia will play 21 times in T20I cricket this year, even before the warmups for the T20 World Cup get underway; his chance will come. That said, what he has displayed all over the world in tournaments packed full of international talent is that he is already equipped for the task, that any debut will ultimately be overdue.

A centrepoint of the Guyana Amazon Warriors side that steamrolled its way through the Caribbean Premier League before losing out in the final, he took 10 for 251 across his 40 overs in the competition.

A slightly surprising oversight as The Hundred drafted its teams having entered proceedings without a reserve price, he will surely be picked up ahead of the IPL.

In the current squad, he finds himself behind Ashton Agar, who also appears to have taken on the role as the team’s finisher incumbent as an allrounder at no.7. It is a high-stakes role; games are won and lost at the back end both with bat and ball. The hope, of course, is that Carey and Ashton Turner – in he positions above him – do much of the damage without his need.

Dan Christian, another who is not part of this squad but is viewed as a gun-for-hire worldwide, could well come into the mix further down the line, especially if Green finds a way into the side at the expense of one of Australia’s seamers.

^{Dan Christian was signed by Manchester Originals ahead of The Hundred}

At the top of the order, meanwhile, there will doubtless be talk of Warner’s place, given both his struggles in the summer’s Ashes series and the brevity of memories in modern-day professional sport.

Quite simply, Warner remains one of T20 cricket’s most dominant forces; the issue of Warner is, essentially, a non-issue. He scored 99 more runs than anyone else in this year’s IPL – doing so in four fewer knocks than those beneath him; he passed 50 in nine of his 12 innings. Given all that had come before, it was an outrageous effort. And while his return to Test cricket has not gone to plan, he followed the IPL with a fine World Cup showing.

The question, therefore, is of how to find space for D’Arcy Short – another, like Lynn, who is yet to truly deliver on the international stage. His talent, though, cannot be in question. He was named the PCA Most Valuable Player of the 2019 Vitality Blast for his performances during the English summer with Durham, and has since returned home to Marsh Cup action with a hundred in his second game back for Western Australia.

In a curious way, it may well be that it is Smith’s place that is most open to debate as Australia look to pack yet more power into a bludgeoning line-up. It is the same question that England are asking of Joe Root – not so much of whether there is a place for these world-class cricketers, but whether, to opt for their brain over the brawn of others.

And finally, there is the small matter of a Big Bash season for Langer and Hohns to pick apart. Several young players have claims to stake. In Josh Philippe, Australian cricket has a young player earmarked for big things, while Marcus Stoinis, left out of this latest T20 squad, will be a man with much to prove ahead of a crucial white-ball year.

With home advantage and an embarrassment of riches, few would bet against Australia winning their maiden T20 World Cup in a year’s time if – and it’s a big if – the right players are involved.