XtraTime Web Desk: Alex Carey will be opening the batting with skipper Aaron Finch as Australia is set to begin its World Cup preparations when they will face India in the first of three-match ODI series in Sydney on Saturday.
The 27-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has played just six previous one-day internationals and typically batted in the middle order, where he has scored 172 runs at an average of 34.40.
“It’s just an opportunity to see Alex play in a position he’s done quite bit in Big Bash and one-day cricket,” Finch told reporters on Friday, where he added that Peter Siddle would make his return to ODI cricket for the first time in eight years.
“It’s a position he’s performed really well with in the last couple of years. We are starting to get a balanced side that we feel can adapt to a lot of different conditions.”
Australian ODI team has been performing poorly as they won only three matches in their last 20 ODI matches, but Finch feels that they have still time to fine tune selections and tactics ahead of their World Cup opener against Afghanistan in Bristol on June 1.
“It’s still enough time to get it right and make sure, come that World Cup, that we are ready to go with a really balanced and settled side,” Finch said of the current series and five more one-dayers in India in March.
The 34-year-old Siddle said he was feeling “like a young kid” after being selected again and that his success in the shorter format could help with the 50-over game.
“If there’s ever a good way to learn fast, how to develop skills in white-ball cricket, it’s definitely the T20 format,” Siddle told reporters.
“You have to learn quickly, learn on your feet and if you don’t execute the deliveries, you obviously cop it a lot in the shortest format. That’s definitely helped my 50-over form.”
Australia Playing XI: Aaron Finch (capt), Alex Carey, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Jhye Richardson, Jason Behrendorff, Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon.