Five talking points from Aussie ODI squad

Zampa back, Lyon out

The in-and-out ODI career of Nathan Lyon continues with the recall of leggie Adam Zampa to the squad at the expense of the Test veteran. Lyon played two of the five matches in England and bowled respectably, and selector Trevor Hohns explained his omission was about being "managed carefully" in the lead-up to the World Cup. Zampa has been rewarded for an outstanding JLT One-Day Cup campaign, in which he was the leading spinner with 12 wickets and an economy rate of 5.08. The South Australian, who in 2016 was the world's leading ODI wicket-taker, now has his chance to impress new coach Justin Langer, depending of course on the make-up of the side; recent history has seen Australia opt for pace-heavy attacks, particularly at home, with part-time spinners such as Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell providing spin options. The form of spinning allrounder Ashton Agar in the UK, who was Australia's fourth-highest run scorer in that series, could also factor against Zampa, however if the 26-year-old does play and perform well, it would surely make it difficult to leave him out for home ODI series against India in January, in turn potentially giving Lyon fewer chances to prove his capabilities with the white ball.

Coulter-Nile returns

Nathan Coulter-Nile was optimistic he could map out a white-ball summer as he targets his plans towards next year's World Cup, and the selectors clearly share the same view. The injury-plagued paceman said recently he may be restricted to a maximum of 15 overs in the JLT Sheffield Shield due to his chronic back problems, but of course such restrictions are irrelevant in the shorter forms. When the right-arm quick is playing 50-over cricket, he's lethal, as a strike-rate of 30.0 – which puts him in the top six Australian ODI bowlers of all time – is testament to. The 31-year-old was hammered in the T20I series opener against Pakistan but bounced back emphatically on Friday night with 3-18 and looks likely to push Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins for a starting spot.

Stoinis retained, Mitch Marsh absent

As with Lyon, the omission of Marsh fell into the 'management' category in the explanation from Hohns, and given the allrounder's injury history and his long layoff following ankle surgery in April, it is perhaps unsurprising. However, it also opens the door for Marcus Stoinis who, in averaging 45 while striking at 101, has gone a long way to cementing his place in Australia's best XI purely as a batsman. But with a jostling for batting positions likely to unfold in the lead-up to the World Cup and the likely returns of Steve Smith and David Warner, a big series against the Proteas could push Stoinis ahead of his middle-order rivals such as the Marsh brothers, Maxwell and Head. The allrounder returned career-best innings figures in the Sheffield Shield recently and could add to his claims as a 'must include' with some decent returns with the ball in the upcoming series.

AJ and Billy overlooked

Hohns cited the return of Cummins, Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc as the (very understandable) reason for the exclusion of AJ Tye, though no mention was made of Billy Stanlake. There has been an argument that both bowlers are better suited to the T20 format however Tye particularly has made a case against that, as the leading wicket-taker in the JLT One-Day Cup recently. With his ability to bowl extreme pace and boasting a quality yorker, Stanlake could be being positioned as an understudy to strike weapon Starc, and as such looks most likely to come into the mix should the left-armer be rested or injured this summer.

Batting group backed

Amid all the headline changes – Tim Paine dropped, a new captain, a returning crop of quicks – it is interesting to note that the selectors have backed the same group of batsmen that was outclassed in England in June, with the addition of Chris Lynn. Top-order trio Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh and Head were Australia's best performed with the bat in that series, while the likes of Maxwell, Stoinis and D’Arcy Short all showed glimpses of their talents. After averaging 71.16 during the JLT One-Day Cup, new Australia T20 rep Ben McDermott is perhaps the unlucky batsman to miss selection.

Australia v Proteas, Gillette ODI series, November 2018

First ODI: Perth Stadium, November 4

Second ODI: Adelaide Oval, November 9

Third ODI: Blundstone Arena, Hobart, November 11

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Josh Hazlewood (vc), Alex Carey (vc), Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Chris Lynn, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, D'Arcy Short, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa

South Africa squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Imran Tahir, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Chris Morris, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn.