ODIs over Shield for Ashes hopefuls

Australia's leading players won't be excused from the upcoming white-ball tour of Asia in order to play the final rounds of the JLT Sheffield Shield, with coach Justin Langer saying their World Cup defence is his main focus despite the Ashes also fast approaching.

The nightmare schedule that regularly makes life difficult for Langer and his fellow selectors continues in the coming months when the ODI campaigns against India and Pakistan – crucial preparation for the World Cup in June-July – clash with the end of the Shield season.

While acknowledging the importance of the Shield in instructing Australia's Ashes squad, Langer said there was no thought of holding back some players from the ODI campaigns and prioritising critical practice against the red Dukes ball.

It means one-day players like Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh and Peter Handscomb will have to put their push for an Ashes spot on hold as they focus instead on the white ball and Australia's Cup campaign.

"You can't really afford to do that, I won't reckon," Langer said of pulling players out of the ODI tour.

"We've got to keep our eyes very clearly on what's best for the team, not what's best for individuals.

"That doesn't work. That does not work, mate. It'd be hard to do that.

"It'd be good for some individuals to do that, but we've also got to win the World Cup. That's just the schedule we deal with.

"We want to get as close to the World Cup squad as we can over the next 12 games (against India and Pakistan), including the two T20s."

Australia's one-day squad for the Indian series is expected to be announced this week and Langer has flagged minimal changes from the group that lost to India last month.

It means Test and ODI incumbents like Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon and Jhye Richardson could miss the end of the Shield season as well, while Test quicks Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins may also return to the 50-over side having been rested from the three-match home series last month.

One man who understands Langer's scheduling frustrations better than most is his predecessor Darren Lehmann, who last week called for Khawaja to focus on the climax of the Shield season instead of the Indian tour.

Speaking before Khawaja's drought-breaking century against Sri Lanka in Canberra, Lehmann said allowing the left-hander to play a solid block of first-class cricket away from the glare of the international spotlight would be a fillip for Australia's Ashes campaign.

"If I'm fair dinkum about batting him (at) three in the Ashes, I don't think you can take him to the one day series against India and Pakistan," Lehmann told Macquarie Sports Radio.

"I think he's got to play the four Shield games at the back end with the Dukes ball and get some form."

The scheduling conflict means a player like Stoinis will have to rely on selectors looking beyond his lack of first-class cricket if he's to force his way into Australia's Ashes squad.

The allrounder is clearly on the radar for a Test spot having been called into the squad last week, and he's philosophical about what the scheduling clash means for his dream on being handed a Baggy Green cap.

"I've made it pretty public that I want to be playing Test cricket, but there's power higher than me that decides that sort of stuff," he said recently.

"You just perform when you can and hope that translates to Test cricket.

"There's not much you can do. There's so much cricket and everyone just tries to do the best they can."

Australia's 2-1 ODI series loss to India last month was their sixth in a row in a run of defeats that has seen them slip to sixth in the world.

But Langer was buoyed by his side's improved performance against one of the World Cup favourites and indicated he'll take a similar group of players to India for the return series.

"I thought we did really well in that series," he said. "They were all three close games.

"We know the style of play we're looking to play, so I can't see too many changes."