By BV Swagath
Daredevil opening batsman David Warner has been dropped from the Australian One Day Squad following poor form of late. Australia have also rested fast bowler Mitchell Starc and middle order bat Steven Smith from the ODI Series against England due to injuries.
Starc has left to Australia with a back problem while Steven Smith is out of action with a thigh injury. The Aussies who play in a 5-match ODI Series against England have a one-off ODI against Scotland at Edinburgh on Tuesday. The ODI Series against England begins from the 6th of this month.
Selector and Coach Darren Lehmann according to Cricket Australia website is quoted to have said this on Warner’s omission - “David has been left out of the Australian ODI squad for this tour purely due to his recent lack of form in this format. By his own admission, David would acknowledge that unfortunately he hasn’t scored the weight of runs that he would like recently in one-day cricket for his country. Like all selection matters, it was a tough decision, but like all players he understands the situation and knows he needs to get back to playing RYOBI Cup and making a heap of runs that we can’t ignore. I spoke with David at length about what he needs to do and I’ve been impressed with his attitude since I’ve come into the Australian setup.”
And on Starc, the official quote on Cricket Australia website is from Australian cricket team doctor Peter Brukner who said: “Mitch reported some lower back pain in recent days so we have decided it’s best for him to return to Australia for further assessment and investigation.”
Australia ODI Squad for UK Tour: Michael Clarke (Captain), George Bailey (Vice-Captain), Fawad Ahmed, Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Josh Hazlewood, Phil Hughes, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Clint McKay, Adam Voges, Matthew Wade, Shane Watson
