As far as I’m concerned, the further Australia gets into its World Cup preparation, the less clear the team appears to be. There is confusion about the best pace bowlers – is Tait worth the risk? Do we need a spinner? Are the openers reliable enough? Should somebody new be at the top? Will Watson come back into the team and if so, where? Will Roy be fit for the World Cup? Is Australia as rock solid as first thought or are there chinks in the armour? After all, just three days ago they lost to England. And not just a loss, but a hiding – I’m talking bonus point.

Last night was a very creditable win against New Zealand. New Zealand at full strength are a very good One Day side. And yet, in the end, the win was more emphatic than a couple of earlier encounters. Australia seemed to be behind the eight ball for most of the match but in the end, they triumphed with almost two overs to spare and a whole five wickets in hand.

I thought Hodge’s selection was out of the blue. I’m still not convinced of his long term place in the One Day team but let’s look at the facts. He was about 20 runs from 38 balls. At that point, I had the knife sharpened. He had managed a total of one run in his previous two innings. The comparative run rate graph showed Australia’s rate turn down from the moment Clarke was dismissed, right at the time the Kiwi’s had an up turn. Hodge seemed to be squeezing the life out of the run chase. Ponting was keeping us in the game. But blow me down, his next 70 runs came from about 48 balls. Perhaps he is made of the right stuff. He deserves more chances but a couple of observations: Players that play themselves in and then accelerate their rate are a risk. If they get out soon after they attempt to accelerate, a lot has been invested without the return. Hodge will not always have the world’s best batsman at the other end, giving him the luxury of playing himself in (i.e. not taking risks).

Tait is another that I felt came from left field. He is exciting. He is fast. Really fast. He is penetrative. He is also a loose cannon. Can he be risked at the World Cup? I felt after his first chance that he wasn’t worth it. But yesterday, he was sensational. His figures of 1-26 from ten overs, including zero wides and zero no balls, were outstanding. In a match that averaged 6 runs per over, just over 2.5 is outstanding. Once again, I’m not convinced but Tait demands more opportunities.

I’m less convinced about the four quicks than I was. On the batsman friendly pitches that are expected for One Day matches, and probably more so in the Caribbean, perhaps even the very best bowlers are still going to go for heaps. It’s pretty well known that the extra pace coming onto the bat often helps the batsmen. Note that M Clarke, a part time bowler, has been one of Australia’s most economical bowler, with his tidy left arm orthodox spin. Brad Hogg was very impressive in his one match. I think his position needs to be reconsidered. Aside from the obvious drawback and confusion of having Brad Hogg and Brad Hodge in the side, I think Hogg deserves more opportunity and has a lot to offer. The name thing could be solved by taking Gillie’s lead and calling Hogg by his real name – George, as in “Well bowled, George.”

On Friday night, the Australian tail looked decidedly long with Bracken coming in at number eight. And the batting is brittle, especially without Ponting. White is not setting the world on fire and one wonders how many chances he will be given. Gillie is struggling for consistency at the top, and in fact, always has done. As well as much needed variety with the bowling, Hogg would strengthen the tail. He is a genuine bowling all rounder.

And then there is Roy. What a blow. He would be just about the first player picked for Australia in One Day cricket. It now seems very likely that he will miss the World Cup. Ironically, Watson, who has spent the summer “making other people’s day” by way of presenting career opportunities at his own expense, looks like being the beneficiary of a reciprocal gesture from Symonds. But the irony and history reach back further than that. It was Watson who suffered an injury in January 2003, on the eve of the World Cup, that allowed Symonds back into the team. Watson is back on the field for Queensland. There was talk of him going to New Zealand for the three match series – I’d say it is now a certainty. He’s probably now a good chance for the CB finals. He will take Symonds place as a batting all rounder. It will be interesting to see what happens if and when Symonds returns.

And one last thing: Why on earth is Hussey coming at number 6?

Two things. South Africa (392) has defeated Pakistan (228) in the first of their five match series.