Journalism of Courage
Batsman David Warner has been dropped from Australia8217;s one-day international squad while paceman Mitchell Starc will fly back home because of lower back soreness,the country8217;s cricket board said on Sunday.
The aggressive left-handed batsman8217;s recent lack of runs in the 50-over format was the reason behind his dropping from the 15-man squad,said Darren Lehmann,who was appointed Australia8217;s coach before the start of the Ashes series against England.
8220;By his own admission,David would acknowledge that unfortunately he hasn8217;t scored the weight of runs that he would like recently in one-day cricket for his country,8221; Lehmann,who is also a selector,said in a Cricket Australia statement.
8220;Like all selection matters,it was a tough decision,but like all players he understands the situation and knows he needs to get back to playing Ryobi Cup domestic 50-over tournament and making a heap of runs that we can8217;t ignore.
8220;I spoke with David at length about what he needs to do and I8217;ve been impressed with his attitude since I8217;ve come into the Australian setup.8221;
The 26-year-old Warner,who was suspended from the Australian team for a bar room fracas with England batsman Joe Root during the Champions Trophy,managed 83 runs in four 50-over matches for Australia this year.
Starc,23,is Australia8217;s latest injury headache with two other young fast bowlers,James Pattinson and Pat Cummins,also recovering from injuries. The experienced Ryan Harris has also been sidelined for two months with a hamstring problem.
8220;Mitch reported some lower back pain in recent days so we have decided it8217;s best for him to return to Australia for further assessment and investigation,8221; Australian cricket team doctor Peter Brukner said.
Australia will play a lone ODI against Scotland on Tuesday before they start their five-match series against England on Friday.
Squad: Michael Clarke captain,George Bailey,Fawad Ahmed,Nathan Coulter-Nile,James Faulkner,Aaron Finch,Josh Hazlewood,Phil Hughes,Mitchell Johnson,Shaun Marsh,Glenn Maxwell,Clint McKay,Adam Voges,Matthew Wade,Shane Watson.
