Darren Lehmann says Aaron Finch and George Bailey can make Australia's squad for the Champions Trophy, providing they make big runs in domestic cricket. The two were >notable omissions on Saturday as Australia named a 14-man party for five home One-Day Internationals (ODIs) against Pakistan, with Usman Khawaja and the Big Bash League's form batsman, Chris Lynn, taking their places.
Both Finch and Bailey have gone almost 12 months since making their last ODI hundreds against India and have been challenged to rediscover their form by the national coach. Lehmann said of Finch: "He's been an integral part [of the team] since the [2015] World Cup but performances for Aaron have not been what we would have liked and what he would have liked to be perfectly honest. The challenge for him is to make big runs in the BBL and get back into the side."
"[It's a] tough call on George as well. He's a ripper bloke, he's fantastic around the group and he's been fantastic as a leader as well," Lehmann continued.
'Door not shut'
"Again, it's down to performances from George. He's got to go back and make big runs. The door is not shut on any of those players, by the way, when you're looking at this form of the game with the Champions Trophy coming up [in June]. George has got to perform well and really put his case forward."
Big-hitting Brisbane Heat batsman Lynn has been the star of the BBL, plundering unbeaten scores of 85, 84 and 98 in three of his last four innings. The 26-year-old, who had previously been hampered by serious shoulder injuries, will now hope to replicate that form at the highest level.
"Everyone loves what he's brought to the T20 format, now the challenge for him is to do that in the one-day format which we know he can," added Lehmann. We're hoping so, he's exciting to watch."
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