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World Cup selections won’t divide Australia

It will be a harsh call on whoever is dropped from the Australian cricket side, but Aaron Finch and Mitch Marsh insist a selfless culture means there will be no sour grapes.

National selectors face an agonising decision when it comes time to pick an XI for Saturday’s World Cup clash with Bangladesh in Brisbane.

Clarke will return from a hamstring surgery, meaning there will be at least one change to the team that thumped England by 111 runs at the MCG.

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“You could pull a few names out of a hat and justify it in some way,” Finch said.

“We’re all professionals. We know that 15 doesn’t go into 11.

“The nature of the game is someone can be in great form and miss out.

“That’s just part of the job.”

Marsh, who snared career-best figures of 5-33 last Saturday, suggested his teammates were too determined to worry about selection squabbles.

“The best thing about this squad is we’ve got 15 blokes that don’t really care what the XI is,” Marsh said.

“We’re all fighting for spots but at the same time we just want to win.”

Vice-captain George Bailey has all but accepted he will be dropped.

Asked what he can do to save his spot last Friday, Bailey replied: “I don’t think I probably will, but that’s fine.”

Bailey scored 55 and formed a crucial 146-run partnership with Finch at the MCG.

Whether that is enough to force a rethink is yet to be seen.

Shane Watson is another potential candidate to make way, but his medium pace is a highly valued point of difference.

“Shane is a world-class player. He can win a game with the bat or with the ball so I definitely want him in my side,” Finch said.

“George played beautifully and showed what a class player he is, which I don’t think he gets a lot of credit for at times.”

Watson managed a golden duck against England, but Marsh was quick to point out it was a “cracking” delivery from Stuart Broad.

“To be fair, I think most blokes are nicking that ball,” Marsh said.

“All the batters are in form, which is great for us.”

Finch agreed, adding that the belief in each other was a major reason behind his century and the team’s imposing total of 9-342 in Melbourne.

“When you know you’ve got the backing of your teammates, it makes you relax,” he said.

Australia had few passengers against England and impressed with bat, ball and in the field.

It will only enhance their status as tournament favourites.

Finch noted his teammates had made no secret of their confidence leading up to the event, but conceded there were plenty of pre-match butterflies.

“Everyone was on edge at the start – there were a lot of nerves,” he said.

“It’s nice to get that out of the way and really get into the tournament now.”

The squad has two days off and will return to training on Wednesday.

-AAP

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