Additionally, coach Andrew McDonald agrees that Ashton was appropriate for these circumstances and that there must have been place.
Australia's commander and mentor defended the" strong choice" to omit Mitchell Starc due to their battle against Afghanistan, which has left them depend on other outcomes back of their Super Eight match against India in St Lucia on Monday.
On a gradual, turning ball in St Vincent, Australia opted to play just two front seamers- Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood- and brought Ashton Agar into the part in Starc's place, as a next specialist spinner alongside Adam Zampa. Agar bowled delicately, taking 0 for 17 in his four overs, but Afghanistan's 118- run opening have brought Starc's presence as a fresh- ball hit bowler into focus.
" It's always a difficult decision to leave Mitch Starc out of a team", Andrew McDonald, Australia's coach said. " But from the manner that the sport unfolded, Ashton was suited to these problems and we needed to make room. We knew we were going to need more than eight innings of roll on that area and it's definitely something we've been planning and preparing for when we knew we were at this place.
" It's often a tough decision. Although you never know whether you're correct or incorrect, I thought Ashton bowled exceptionally well immediately, using his skill, some strong arm-balls, first acquisition, and difficult to follow through those initial overs. We got two]overs ] out]of him ] in the powerplay which then set up the bowling for that end with him and Zamps operating. However, we were n't able to take those first innings."
Mitchell Marsh, Australia's captain, said Starc had been" unhappy" to miss out but added:" We've said right from the start of the tournament that we've got 15 guys below, and we'll pick a team that we think can win us the game in those particular conditions, and everything pointed towards Ash… The reality is, when you've got this far talent, someone's generally unlucky to miss out."
Despite Agar's two tight powerplay overs, Afghanistan made a steady start to their innings, scoring 40 for 0 in the first six. It stood in contrast to Australia's own start, losing Travis Head, David Warner and Marsh himself to be 33 for 3 after six. But Marsh insisted:" I do n't think the game was won or lost in the powerplay tonight."
McDonald claimed that St. Vincent's situation had been what Australia had anticipated and that it was pointless to speculate what might have transpired if Starc had been chosen for Afghanistan. Given the strength of Afghanistan's spin attack and the pitch's pitch at the Arnos Vale Ground, they had long envisioned the game as a potential scare.
" When you're hopping around the islands, the conditions change dramatically, and we got what we expected," McDonald said". I was comfortable with that decision and now we've got to turn our focus to India: a totally different line- up on a totally different surface, and we've got to make good decisions at the selection table.
" That's part of the art of navigating through a World Cup, to get those decisions right- and you ca n't play the same game twice. You ca n't put Mitchell Starc in there, or Nathan Ellis, and work out what the game would have looked like. We reached out to Ash and supported him, and we have full confidence in whoever we call on in those 15 days to complete a task.
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