Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne have joined Glenn Maxwell in abandoning a traditional fixation with making centuries.
Dave Warner,Marcus Labuschagne and Steve Smith led the Australian bowling attack - with little success - in Australia’s final World Cup warm-up.
Alyssa Healy dominated the West Indies’ bowling attack on Saturday,while her husband Mitch Starc returned to the crease in ominous form against the Netherlands in a World Cup warm-up match overnight.
Australia secured a 66-run victory in scorching heat for the third and final one-day international in Rajkot but,with the series already lost,it was too little,too late.
Australia have been trounced in their one-day series in India,losing 2-0 with one game to go after they failed to overhaul a massive target in a rain-delayed game in Indore.
Australia’s form slump in the lead up to the World Cup has continued with a five-wicket loss to India in the first one-day international at Mohali.
Australia lost the final three games to relinquish the five-match ODI series in South Africa and now moves to India without in form opener Travis Head but with other big names returning ahead of the World Cup.
Ben Stokes’ short-lived retirement from ODI cricket is well and truly over,and judging by his form overnight against New Zealand he’s in a belligerent mood ahead of the World Cup.
David Warner got Australia off to a flying start in pursuit of South Africa’s mammoth total,but was run out in calamitous circumstances as the visitors lost eight wickets for just 60 runs to lose a match for the first time in the series.
Not selected in the original XI,Labuschagne replaced Cameron Green during the run chase and hit an unbeaten 80 as Australia reeled in the Proteas’ 222.
Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc will miss the tour of South Africa,coming as Mitch Marsh’s leadership skills were recognised with captaincy in the ODI and Twenty20 formats.