World Cup Watch: Starc, Warner shine

Australia's ICC Cricket World Cup squad members are pushing their case for inclusion in the best XI for the 50-over game's showpiece event.

The 15-man squad threw up few surprises when it was revealed on Sunday, but reducing that down to 11 players for the World Cup matches is a tough ask for selectors. 

For example, can Michael Clarke, Steve Smith and George Bailey all fit into the same XI?

How many of the four allrounders - Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell, James Faulkner and Mitchell Marsh - can be squeezed into the one side?

And with four frontline fast-bowlers in the squad, how does spinner Xavier Doherty fit into the equation?

We take a look at how the Aussies performed against England in the opening Carlton Mid ODI Tri-Series match at the SCG on Friday night and how it might affect their World Cup hopes.

David Warner
After a typically busy performance in the field, Warner didn't waste any time chasing down Australia's moderate victory target of 235. He hit six boundaries in the power play and then kept up the high scoring rate with a mimimum of risk, finishing with 127 from 115 balls, his third ODI hundred. It was the perfect mix of maturity and aggression that Warner has shown so often in Test cricket in recent years.

Highlights of David Warner's third ODI hundred

Aaron Finch
The opener got a few boundaries away early in his innings before he chopped a Chris Woakes delivery onto his stumps to fall for 15. Not a great start to the series for the Victorian, but it's worth remembering that he registered four ODI centuries in 2014 and his combination with Warner at the top of the innings is one of the most destructive in world cricket.

Shane Watson
Brought into the attack at first change with England reeling at 3-24, Watson couldn't add to the early breakthroughs and finished with 0-23 from four overs. It was another mixed bag with the bat; he hit two boundaries - including a beautifully-timed clip off his pads to the square leg boundary - but was caught for 16 when he top-edged a pull shot.

Steve Smith
He's long preached patience and Smith started his innings slowly here tonight - he was 9 off 26 balls early on - but lifted the tempo as the Aussies pushed on towards the victory target. As he has for most of the summer, the right-hander looked at ease at the crease. Right up until he was bowled trying to force Moeen Ali through the off-side. Another case of job done for the 25-year-old.

George Bailey
The skipper lost a toss he would have liked to win, but rotated his bowlers well after the quicks gave the home side the perfect start. He bowled Xavier Doherty for 10 overs straight from the Randwick End as the Aussies turned the screws in the middle overs before they closed out the innings well. Bailey started his innings slowly and then fell for 10 as he tried to lift the scoring rate in pursuit of the bonus point.  

Glenn Maxwell
Brought on to bowl in the 13th over - ahead of Xavier Doherty - Maxwell bowled better than his figures of 1-37 from six overs suggest. He conceded just one boundary in five overs before Eoin Morgan hit out late in the innings, with his sixth over going for 15 to blow his figures out a little. The wicket of Woakes was important in the run home and the off-spinner could have had two had Brad Haddin held on to a difficult chance off Jos Buttler. He was important in the field, taking four catches, and would be disappointed after he was incorrectly given out caught behind for a duck.

Highlights of Eoin Morgan's century

James Faulkner
The left-armer built on the good work of the opening bowlers, varying his pace cleverly and getting some purchase out of the SCG surface with his cutters. He picked up three wickets, all caught in the deep, and finished with 3-47 from his 10 overs. He would be slightly disappointed with a return of 1-20 from his final two-over spell, but it should not diminish his work during the middle overs. 

Brad Haddin
A polished performance behind the stumps from Haddin, the only slight knock a thick edge he put down up to the stumps off Maxwell's bowling, but it was a tough chance. He looked to be in good touch with the bat, hitting three consecutive fours off Stuart Board as Australia secured a bonus-point victory.

Mitchell Starc
With competition for fast-bowling spots fierce, Starc laid down an early marker with two wickets in the opening over and another two to close the innings. The left-armer finished with figures of 4-42 from 8.5 overs and displayed the pace and swing that will make him hard to leave out of Australia's XI during the Cup. His ODI record of 53 wickets at an average of 21.58 speaks for itself.

Mitchell Starc bags four in Tri-series opener

Patrick Cummins
The impressive youngster sent down some thunderbolts with the new ball, topping the 150km/h mark and forcing a leaden-footed Joe Root into a loose stroke outside off stump. His opening burst of 1-3 from three overs was the first of four spells during the innings and while Morgan hit him for four boundaries late in the innings, his return of 1-42 from nine overs (including five wides) was commendable. He should have had the wicket of Woakes, too, but he was put down at fine leg.

Xavier Doherty
Brought into the attack after 15 overs, Doherty bowled 10 overs straight from the Randwick End and finished with impressive figures of 1-38 from 10 overs. The wicket of Ravi Bopara was due in a large part to batsman error, but it was the least Doherty deserved as he kept things tight after the quicks had ruined the top order. A simple dropped catch at fine leg was a small black mark on an otherwise good day for the left-armer.