Marsh, Finch in frame for ODI captaincy but a smokey has support
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As attention turns to the start of the domestic one-day series this month, the national selectors will begin plotting how best to revive an Australian ODI team that has dipped to No.6 in the world rankings.
At the top of their list is finding a captain. Tim Paine had the role during the mid-year series in England but his modest form with the bat, the idea that an emerging Alex Carey is best suited as a hard-hitting lower-order gloveman, not to mention the tourists were winless in the five-match series, has meant he is set to be relieved of that role. It should also be remembered that Paine had only been ratified as skipper for that England series. He will retain the Test captaincy, helping to usher in a new culture under coach Justin Langer.
That leaves all-rounder Mitch Marsh and opening batsman Aaron Finch as the frontline options to lead the ODI side, while former Australian captain George Bailey has support among state players but is considered an unlikely successor.
Captain material: Mitch Marsh and Aaron Finch.
Photo: AAP
Marsh, captain of the WA side, remains favourite to take the role – a “good chance”, as one cricket insider said – and will have an opportunity to strengthen his credentials when he leads Australia A in two four-day matches against India, the first beginning on Sunday in Bengaluru. He turns 27 in October and is seen as a long-term option, perhaps even retaining the role when the suspended Steve Smith is free to again captain teams from 2020.
Finch, who led Australia in the mid-year Twenty20 series in Zimbabwe, will also be in discussions although his sometimes old-school approach may not blend well with Langer. What he has done, though, is rubber-stamp his spot at the top of the order with four centuries in his past 11 ODI innings.
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