Khawaja looms as top-order prospect

Steve Smith has indicated Australia’s selectors are likely to consider personnel changes to the batting line-up that surrendered meekly to New Zealand in today’s thumping loss to start the Chappell-Hadlee ODI Series.

Watch: Match wrap: NZ thump Australia

The sight of in-form batsman Usman Khawaja running out drinks at the (very) regular fall of wickets during Australia’s brief innings of 148 will surely prompt further calls for the left-hander to be included in a top-order that folded faster than someone with a black belt in origami.

Quick Single: Aussies thrashed by rampant Kiwis

But given that no specialist batter was able to reach 20 on a pitch where the Black Caps piled on 8-307, and in light of the success that same batting line-up had achieved in the recent ODI Series against India in Australia, it will be difficult for the selectors to apportion blame to an individual.

“I think after this batting display it will be talked about amongst selectors,” Smith said tonight when asked if a change to the line-up was likely for the second match of the three-game series at Wellington on Saturday.

Watch: 'I'd like to forget tonight': Smith

“It wasn't our best display so I’m sure that will be talked about.

“Today the way we batted it looked like we were in a bit of a hurry, almost in T20 mode if you will but we're going to have to improve on that and make sure we give ourselves a chance in the next couple of games.

“I'd like to forget tonight's game to be perfectly honest.

“It hasn’t been a great start to the series for us.”

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If Khawaja, who has not played an ODI for three years and was a late addition to the 14-man squad to cover the loss of Aaron Finch due to injury, is to receive a call-up it would likely be in place of Shaun Marsh at the top of the order.

That’s because Khawaja has played as an opener in the 50-over and 20-over formats of late, and the elder Marsh could slot in further down the order where he has batted previously.

Having spoken at length on Tuesday about the dangers of pushing too hard too early against New Zealand’s potent pace bowlers Trent Boult and Matt Henry, the Australian batters did precisely that and crashed to 6-41 inside nine overs.

Watch: Everyone came to the party: Henry

Henry conceded at game’s end that the Black Caps bowlers were able to generate more movement with the ball than their Australia counterparts, but Smith rejected suggestions that his team’s historic fallibility against swing bowling was once more the cause of their spectacular demise.

“I don’t think the ball was really moving around that much today so that was a bit disappointing,” Smith said.

“We know that the two up front - Henry and Boult - are class bowlers and wicket-taking bowlers and we just didn’t adapt well enough today.

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“We let them get on top of us, we probably went a little bit too hard at them and we didn’t have it in us tonight.

“We did what we did here last time during the World Cup (last year when the Black Caps won a low-scoring match with one wicket in hand).

“I think playing over here against those guys we need to take a little bit longer to get ourselves in - give ourselves a chance.

“We didn’t do that tonight and we’re going to have to learn quickly and hopefully we can do that in a couple of days’ time in Wellington.”

Watch: Faulkner's freakish catch

While Australia’s bowling stocks have been tested by injuries and retirements over the past six months and have conceded totals of around 300 in their past six ODIs, the captain does not believe his bowlers are as culpable as his batters.

“For us it's a big learning curve for a lot of the younger guys,” Smith said citing the likes of Kane Richardson, John Hastings and even Josh Hazlewood who have each played less than 20 one-day internationals.

“They're quite inexperienced and coming up against guys like (Martin) Guptill and (Brendon) McCullum when they're up and going is very tough.

“We're going to have to find ways to be successful against them - I think it's a great learning curve for our bowlers.”

Smith’s decision to bowl first upon winning the toss was based on historic data that teams chasing targets at the boutique rugby win far more often than not, although NZ skipper McCullum made it known he would have batted if given the choice.

After McCullum and Guptill got away to a rollicking start, Australia’s seamers clawed them back in the final half of the innings and Smith felt the total of 308 for victory – while 60 runs more than any Australia team has managed batting second in an ODI in NZ – was “about par”.

Watch: Guptill puts one onto the roof

But the batting was decidedly sub-par, the innings not even reaching its halfway mark, although Henry baulked at suggestions the successive ODI triumphs at Eden Park meant his team had established some sort of stranglehold against their near neighbour.

“Wouldn’t say they folded, it just came down to a half-hour period when things really went our way and we bowled well in a partnership,” he said at the end of the game in which he captured 3-41.

“They still a great side and have a very strong batting line-up.

“We’re more concerned with our plans and making sure we were specific on where we wanted to bowl.”