Captain – Aaron Finch
Captaincy preference order – Aaron Finch, David Warner, Kusal Perera
Automatic picks – Adam Zampa, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mitchell Starc, Lasith Malinga, Aaron Finch, David Warner, Kusal Perera, Bhanuka Rajapaksa
Differentials –
- Billy Stanlake, Pat Cummins, Nuwan Pradeep
- Glenn Maxwell, Dasun Shanaka
- Steve Smith, Ben McDermott, Ashton Turner
Automatic picks
Bowlers and All-rounders
The wrist spinners are the biggest assets in T20 cricket. In the middle overs, when the batsmen are trying to go long and hard, the wrist spinners provide you the wickets with their variations.
Adam Zampa and Wanindu Hasaranaga are likely to feature in tomorrow’s game and both of them come at a credit point of 8.5 each which makes them top bargains. With 17 credit points, you have two quality wrist spinners in.
Mitchell Starc and Lasith Malinga are amongst the best T20 bowlers in the world. Since, they bowl at the death and are capable of delivering pin-point yorkers, they have the best chances of getting wickets.
Although they are costly and come at 9.5 and 9.0 credit points respectively, they are worth being invested in.
Batsmen and wicket-keepers
The top 3 consume most of the deliveries in T20 cricket and although the lower order batsmen make the decisive impact in this format, it’s the top order which leads the run scoring chart.
David Warner and Aaron Finch are two of the costliest batsmen available at 10.5 and 10.0 credit points respectively, but it’s a no-brainer to pick them both. Not only can they score at a fair clip, they can score hundreds.
Sri Lanka also have two explosive batsmen at the top of the order in the form of Kusal Perera and Bhanuka Rajapaksa. The duo like to play off the back-foot and are very strong square of the wicket on both sides which is ideal for Australian pitches.
Rajapaksa recently made his debut against Pakistan and was the man of the match in only his second game where he scored 77. While, Perera comes at 9.0 which is a decent cost, Rajapaksa comes at 8.0 which is an absolute steal, given his ability.
After spending 73 credits, I have my automatic choices in and I am left with 27 credits to pick my differentials.
Differentials
Billy Stanlake, Pat Cummins and Nuwan Pradeep
You have a choice between Billy Stanlake, Pat Cummins and Nuwan Pradeep. Cummins is a wonderful bowler, but Stanlake has the x-factor. He is quite tall and can generate awkward bounce from the good length area.
Pradeep had a good tour of Pakistan where he grabbed a 4-wicket haul in one of the games. He nibbles the new ball both ways and hits the deck fairly hard as well.
The choice in this differential is between Stanlake and Pradeep as Cummins is slightly costlier. My personal choice will be Stanlake.
Glenn Maxwell and Dasun Shanaka
Shanaka played a couple of cameos against Pakistan as he scored 17 off 10 and 27 off 15 in the first two games of the T20I series respectively, but he is a bit susceptible against bounce.
Whenever Wahab Riaz bent his back and got the ball to rise to a fair height, Shanaka looked Shaky and bounce will be one of the biggest factors in Australia.
Maxwell, on the other hand, is more familiar to Australian conditions. Although, he is highly inconsistent, he is worth a pick as he scores at a faster rate than Shanaka.
Strike rate is always important while picking the middle order batsmen as they get lesser number of deliveries to face.
Another plus point with Maxwell is that he can give you something with the ball as well. He will be my personal choice in this differential.
Steve Smith, Ben McDermott and Ashton Turner
After spending 8.5 at Stanlake and 9.0 at Maxwell, I am left with 9.5 credit points. Steve Smith costs 10.0.
Although I would have liked to pick Smith as he is a sheet-anchor and will play through the innings which gives him more chances of scoring runs, the choice is now between McDermott and Turner due to the lack of credits.
McDermott’s recent form in the Marsh One Day Cup seals the deal here as the right-hander averaged close to 70 in the tournament and looked at ease both against fast bowlers and spinners. He will be my 11th player.
Related posts:
