Ball tampering scandal still haunting Oz duo? Reasons why Smith and Warner shouldn't play WC

The IPL is continuing in full flow as the Australian stars have joined the bandwagon after their journey to the Middle East. Unlike the franchises now the cricket boards of different nations are busy in finalizing their respective squads for the gala event, 2019 World Cup, which is less than two months away. Most of their teams are certain of their playing XI leaving a few teams, and one of them is Australia.

At the start of this year, when Australia played India at their home, serious questions were raised regarding their white ball skills. The situation was an anomaly for the cricketing world because the Kangaroos have won the coveted cup for a record five times.

Cut to 2015 World Cup, Australia had one of the strongest sides in the tournament led by Micheal Clarke. The team contained match winners and each one of them stood up to bring back the glory. But this time Cricket Australia has been suffering ill-effects of a storm which brew a year ago in the form of ball tampering.

In that infamous saga two of the pillars of Australian cricket, Steven Smith and David Warner, were the wrongdoers and both were banned for a year. Now as the ban has been lifted, both of the stalwarts are available for selection but it is inappropriate if the duo make a cut to the World Cup squad ahead of other players in the system.

The following three reasons will explain why Smith and Warner should not be selected for the upcoming World Cup

1) Winning combination shouldn’t have tampered

Earlier in the year when India hosted Australia for an ODI leg, Captain Aaron Finch was trying out different combinations as a part of World Cup preparations. The results were not satisfactory as the players were getting used to new roles. After a couple of failures, the skipper and new players stood up as the series progressed and delivered for the visiting side.

A series win after being 0-2 down in 5 match leg was a historical feat achieved by the Kangaroos and that juggernaut continued against Pakistan. But now if the banned duo returns, the team will have to go through the grind again as the winning combinations will be tampered which can affect their momentum, a key in ICC events.

Having a close look at the Australia record in one-dayers one can point out that, before the series victory against India. They lost 7 series consecutively even when the famed duo were present. Bringing back Warner and Smith to the national set-up can disturb the team harmony created over a year.

2) Lack of practice in competitive ODI cricket

Australian team have been playing only white ball cricket since last 3 months in order to shape up the team for World Cup. During this time the banned duo have been plying their trade in various domestic leagues like Global T20 Canada, BPL, and recently in the ongoing IPL.

Smith and Warner have scored runs in these games but all the matches they played were T20’s which requires a completely different skill-set as compared to the ODIs. For the events like World Cup, practice and recent form are two crucial elements but Warner and Smith last played an International ODI way back in January 2018.

The current crop of Australian players will be fresh from an ODI series victory against Pakistan where the opposition was whitewashed. This momentum can help the individuals remain in good stead for their next assignment. So selecting Warner and Smith in the team can be a risk which is not worth taking in global events as it can backfire quickly.

3) In-form players will be dropped for accommodating the duo which is wrong

Smith and Warner were at their peak when they were slapped with a year ban. But their current form in domestic leagues should not be taken seriously. Players like Aaron Finch, Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb have been in good form as they have scored centuries recently against quality bowling attacks.

The duo played their last ODI series against England where both of them averaged in mid 20’s. If the board is selecting the squad on the basis of current form then both Warner and Smith should not be considered. The board shouldn’t couple it with their recent surgeries they can breakdown in the middle of the tournament.

Direct entry to the squad for the players will show the cricketing board in bad light. It is an injustice to the proven cricketers. If Smith and Warner play, and doesn’t score runs then the board will be criticized heavily for their choices and the trust between the players and board can deteriorate.

It is fact that Warner and Steve Smith are match winners in their own rights and have been the pillars of Australian cricket for years. But with in a year new talents have emerged to take up the responsibilities, and it will be unfair on them to get dropped even after decent performances.

~Written by Kiran Kumar

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