Surely we won't be silly enough to go in unchanged against South Africa.
Finch
Hughes
Smith
Bailey
Maxwell
Marsh
Haddin
Faulkner
Johnson
Starc
Lyon
I don't understand the logic behind the team we played against Zim:
What's the point of batting a destructive finisher like Maxwell ahead of someone who clearly is a innings builder? i.e. Steve Smith.
Why are we batting a bowling all-rounder who 99% won't be in the top order for us at the World Cup at no. 3, when we have the best young batting talent in Australia having shown he can bat well in that position in OD games in the Ryobi Cup for NSW last year?
Why are we batting a 36 yr. old wicketkeeper who 99% won't be opening for us in the World Cup as an opener, when there is clearly a guy who is still in the running and shown extraordinary form in the past weeks left out?
Why do we need 8 bowlers in a 50 over match? If Johnson, Starc, Faulkner, Lyon are getting smashed about then so will Smith, Marsh and Maxwell.
If we really want to have a good look at different players, don't have such a swathe of bowlers that none of them get much of the ball, and even if they do, their rhythm is being broken up by constantly being brought in and out of the attack. Being one of only five proper bowlers in a match puts the guys we want to have a look at (Richardson, Cutting, Marsh) under pressure to bowl good areas since they don't have the safety net of seven other guys. From that match we're yet to see how Richardson will cope with bowling more than a handful of overs. Him being in the side was really worth nothing at that stage.
While I don't want to be a part of the reactionary outrage that usually comes up after this sort of debacle, this just strengthens my opinion of the total pointlessness of this series. Silly decisions in a lopsided match against a mediocre team, and supporting through television money, a government who have clearly done nothing to help the sport.
