6 Takeaways From the Pakistan-Australia ODI Series

#5 Australia’s Remaining Dilemmas Fade Away

Aaron Finch made a spectacular return to form in this series

The biggest concern for Australia heading into this series was the form of their captain Aaron Finch. Just one 50+ score in the series against India had put his place in doubt. Ian Chappell had even said that he should be left out of the team.

The response from Finch in this series was hard-hitting. By plundering 451 runs in these 5 matches, he cast away all doubts about his position in the side. The fact that he had a very incisive bowler in Mohammed Abbas, who had troubled him immensely last year in the Test series, bowling to him increased the level of challenge. By proving successful, Finch has reasserted his value as an ODI player.

Another man who underachieved in the India series was Glenn Maxwell. His high-risk style of play makes him vulnerable at times. But he too returned to form in a big way against Pakistan. The daring stroke-play of Maxwell was back in view as was his big hitting. This has made the Australian line-up even more dangerous and removed another lingering concern.

Shaun Marsh, too, hadn’t scored too many runs in India. By scoring three half-centuries, he announced his return to form. This, coupled with his impressive record in ODIs, makes him a near-certainty for the final XI.

So, things are only getting better for Australia. When you consider the fact that David Warner and Steve Smith are now back in contention, what the Kangaroos have, currently, is an embarrassment of riches.

We may well see a situation in the World Cup where a player of the quality of Smith is left out. This shows how the Aussies are back among the best batting line-ups in world cricket.