Glenn Maxwell and Adam Zampa to Lead Australia’s Spin Attack in ODI World Cup, Says George Bailey

George Bailey, the national selector for Australia, has expressed confidence in all-rounder Glenn Maxwell’s ability to serve as a frontline spinner for the team during the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup in India. Australia, a five-time champion, will face India in their tournament opener on October 8 in Chennai.

With Marnus Labuschagne’s leg spin showing a decline and Steven Smith’s reduced bowling contributions, Maxwell and Adam Zampa stand out as Australia’s primary spin options in their World Cup squad. The possibility of Travis Head returning to provide off-spin remains uncertain, especially for the early stages of the competition.

Bailey emphasized that it would be unjust to underestimate Maxwell’s prowess in white-ball cricket. Maxwell has claimed 64 wickets in 129 games with an economy rate of 5.53. He recently delivered a career-best performance, taking 4/40 against India in the third ODI of a three-match series in Rajkot.

George Bailey Said

Bailey stated, “Think it’s unfair on Maxi to say he’s not a specialist spinner. Think his white-ball spinning record is pretty handy and you could very much consider him a frontline option. We certainly consider that we have two frontline spinners within our first-choice XI.”

He further mentioned that the team management believes that Maxwell and Zampa can perform excellently as frontline spinners. Australia still has numerous options for fast bowlers and backup all-rounders.

“More broadly across the squad, when you are limited to 15 [players], there are compromises that you have to weigh up [and] which way to want to take a risk. That was all the considerations that we had to take. We certainly think that Zamps and Maxi can do a really good job for us as the frontline spinners and we’ve still got plenty of options for quicks and back-up allrounders,” he added.

As the World Cup draws near, Australia is gearing up to put its faith in Glenn Maxwell and Adam Zampa as they aim to clinch the coveted title. The five time World Champions know how to win big tournaments and will look to keep on building the momentum after an emphatic win over India in the third ODI.

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