Cricket

Contenders to be Australia's ODI captain

bet365 News Team Updated: 09 Jun 23 13:55 Published: 30 Sep 22 13:20

Australia have slipped to fifth in the one-day international standings, highlighting their inconsistency in the 50-over format in recent years.

Since losing to England in the World Cup semi-final in 2019, the Aussies have played 30 ODI matches and have won just 16 of those games.

It's not what we've come to expect from the five-time World Cup winners and Cricket Australia will be looking for big improvements ahead of next year's 50-over tournament in India. Australia are currently 4/1 to lift the World Cup trophy in 2023.

One of the main issues appears to have been the regular changing of the captaincy, with five players having had spells as skipper since 2015, with Aaron Finch stepping down after announcing his ODI retirement.

Australia don't currently have an official one-day captain, so we've taken a look at the top candidates to be appointed by the selectors.

Pat Cummins

Despite already being the Test captain, Pat Cummins is believed to be also under consideration for the position of 50-over skipper.

It is rare these days to see the red-ball captain also lead the white-ball team, but the pace bowler has shone in both formats in recent years.

Cummins has 119 wickets in just 73 one-day internationals and has also chipped in with 3337 runs since making his ODI debut in 2011.

However, the 29-year-old has indicated that it would be difficult for him to be a captain in both formats, especially with an Ashes series and a 50-over World Cup coming up in 2023.

David Warner

David Warner might be many people's first choice for the role, but the opener has a lifetime 'leadership ban' hanging over him.

The 35-year-old endured a 12-month spell on the sidelines, following his part in the ball tampering controversy in South Africa back in 2018.

Part of his punishment from Cricket Australia was also a ban on captaining the national team, but former skipper Finch feels Warner would be the best man for the job.

Finch, who skippered the ODI squad for five years, says he is "not 100 per cent sure of what Cricket Australia's position is", but admitted he would like to see the ban 'overturned'.

Warner – who was ODI skipper back in 2016 - is Australia's highest-ranked one-day batsman (8th), he has over 5,700 ODI runs to his name and averages 44.60.

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Marnus Labuschagne

Despite being 28 years old, Marnus Labuschagne only played his first one-day international in 2020 but he has since established himself as 50-over regular.

The batting-all-rounder averages 31.91 runs in ODI cricket and has one century and five half-centuries in the 23 international innings he's played to date.

Labuschagne has played a lot of cricket in a short time and has the temperament that looks well suited to an international captain.

One thing that he would have to consider though is whether he feels he would be able to bat and bowl, as well as skippering the team – something several all-rounders have struggled with in the past.

Alex Carey

Having stood in when Finch was injured in 2021, Alex Carey is another captaincy option for the Australian selectors.

The wicketkeeper-batsman is a former Aussie Rules footballer, who started his cricket career as a top-order batsman before taking the gloves and dropping down the order.

Despite taking 16 innings to score his first ODI half-century, Carey has been impressive since an unbeaten knock of 55 against India in the 2019 World Cup.

The 31-year-old smashed 106 against England at Old Trafford in 2020 and has seven half-centuries to his name in the 50-over format.

Josh Hazelwood

Along with Cummins, Josh Hazelwood has become an important part of the Australian bowling attack both with the red ball and the white ball.

The man from New South Wales has 105 wickets in 67 ODI appearances for his country - with his best figures coming against New Zealand at Edgbaston in 2017, taking 6-52.

Hazelwood's workload will be a concern, though, for the selectors, having played for Australia in all three formats in the last year.

As he turns 32 in January 2023 and with the impact pace bowling has on the body, Cricket Australia may feel it is too much for Hazelwood to also take on the ODI captaincy.