AUS vs ZIM, 1st ODI: Labuschagne misses out as Australia announce playing XI

Marnus Labuschagne [PC: Twitter]

Australia will lock horns with Zimbabwe in the first ODI of the three-match series in Townsville tomorrow. 

The hosts have named the players they will field in this encounter ahead of the clash. However, the absence of Marnus Labuschagne marks a significant highlight of this selection. The stylish right-handed batter has probably been dropped from the first-choice eleven for his poor outings in the Sri Lanka series, where he managed just 116 runs at an abysmal average of 23.20. 

Australia emphasise batting depth

Mitchell Marsh [PC: Twitter]

Another significant observation of the selected team is the presence of ample multi-dimensional players. The Aussies have included four top-class all-rounders in the eleven: Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green. 

While Marsh continues to retain his place despite being inconsistent in his last two ODI series, Green has been picked ahead of Ashton Agar for his impressive returns in the Sri Lanka series. Moreover, Australia choosing Green over Agar shows their willingness to have an incredibly deep batting lineup. As they have proper batters till number eight, we expect them to play with an ultra-aggressive approach tomorrow. 

Australia XI for the first ODI against Zimbabwe:

Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Steve Smith, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

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