With Steve Smith and David Warner returning to international cricket, Australia captain Aaron Finch has admitted that selecting a balanced squad for the World Cup would be a 'bloody hard' task to do.
Sajjad Hussain / AFP
Following their year-long ban, both Smith and Warner will be available for selection, but with the current unit performing outstandingly, fitting the duo is all set to give the selectors a major headache.
"It is bloody hard," Finch said. "Especially when the side is playing so well, it's going to be difficult. No matter who it is. I will definitely have my views - and Justin (Langer) and I, we talk all the time, every day about selections and team make-ups, different scenarios and things like that.
"At the end of the day, they're the selectors and it's an incredibly tough decision. Whatever balance you go with in that 15-man squad (for the World Cup), there's going to be some very unlucky blokes out there," he added.
Openers Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja have combined brilliantly over the course of recent ODIs, accumulating 886 runs at an average of 81. The former, in his last six games, has alone scored 479 runs which include two back to back tons against Pakistan and two 90s. Khawaja, on the other hand, was named as the Player of the Series against India after scoring 383 runs, including two centuries.
Even below the order, the likes of Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb and Glenn Maxwell have played crucial roles in crunch situations, while the likes of Marcus Stoinis and Ashton Turner remain important as well.
And speaking of maintaining the flow of progression, Finch added, "That probably goes under the radar a little bit when you're looking at teams that have been successful in the past," he said. "England have had a great four years since the last World Cup, but they've had a very settled side. India are no different.”
