Pakistan vs Australia ODI series: 5 Talking Points

#3. Key series for many Australians

Both Shaun Marsh and Glenn Maxwell are in need of big runs to cement their place in the line-up

There are various players in the Australian squad who too, are fighting for a spot in the final World Cup squad. Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, and Nathan Lyon are the three most prominent ones. Among pace bowlers also, there is fierce competition.

The likes of Jhye Richardson, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Kane Richardson and Jason Behrendorff have to convince the selectors that they are deserving of a place in the team. The group would be led by the one bowler who is certain to make it into the playing XI in England - Pat Cummins.

Mitchell Starc misses this tour due to injury but is certain to be in the team for the World Cup. Josh Hazlewood and Billy Stanlake may also come into contention for the tournament in England. Hence, none of the seamers who will feature in this series take their place for granted.

Going back to Maxwell and Marsh, the former is a highly-regarded player in shorter formats and provides useful off-spin too. But he underperformed in the India series and therefore, has a point to prove. Since Ashton Turner has shown tremendous potential as an aggressive batsman down the order, Maxwell can’t afford to be complacent about his position.

Marsh has been in the Australian set-up for a very long time and hasn’t done badly in ODIs. But with competition for places becoming more intense in the Australian top-7, he is finding it difficult to keep his place intact.

Both these batsmen have to make a big statement in this series. Maxwell needs to show more sense and Marsh greater consistency.

Lastly, Lyon is keen to play in the World Cup and did well enough in India for remaining in contention. He would enjoy bowling in the UAE and could emerge as a stable, reliable tweaker to pair with the more volatile Zampa in England.

So, these five matches will see the clear outline of the Australian World Cup team becoming visible.