Jack Edwards should take the allrounder’s place, with Cameron Green slotted in purely as a batter. The home summer opens in Perth on Friday 13 November without Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood, so the attack leans on whoever can bowl ten overs. Edwards has shown he can, with a five-wicket haul in only his second ODI. Green owns the better record, but a sore shoulder leaves his bowling in doubt. That uncertainty tips the choice firmly towards the man who can bowl.
Edwards arrived in international cricket at Kingsmead on 24 September and left without a wicket, his figures reading 0/56. At the Wanderers three days on, his ten overs returned 5/67, and the match’s two centurions, Bavuma and Miller, both fell to him. Yet Miller smashed 142 off 93 balls to lift South Africa to 365/9, so the damage was not total. Edwards also chipped in with 25 off 30 balls.
Across two matches he has collected 30 runs and five wickets, averaging 24.60 with the ball from 20 overs. The Wanderers spell came partly because Nathan Ellis bowled just four overs, which pushed extra work Edwards’ way. A similar load is no guarantee in Perth. Treat the strike rate in the table as his 25 off 30, since balls faced on debut were not confirmed, and the economy as 123 runs from 20 overs.
Without the big three, the bowling group most likely features Xavier Bartlett, Spencer Johnson and Adam Zampa, plus the uncapped Mahli Beardman. Cooper Connolly offers left-arm spin in a supporting role. One possible XI includes both Edwards and Green, which turns the argument into a question of who actually delivers overs. That framing favours the man who has already done it.
Conditions add weight to that view. Men’s ODIs at Perth have produced an average of 171 for the side batting first over four matches, a figure that rewards teams with options in the attack. A line-up carrying one fewer reliable bowler gives the opposition room to settle.
Green brings a far longer record to the contest, and it is an impressive one. Forty ODIs have brought him 991 runs, scoring at 82.86 per 100 balls, and 21 wickets. His 47-ball hundred at Mackay in August 2025 ranks second among the quickest by an Australian in the format. That speed is a real asset at number four, particularly in a chase.
The bowling side of his game is less convincing. His 21 wickets have cost 41.38 each, an expensive rate for a frontline option. A shoulder problem through the Test series now makes it unclear whether he will bowl at all. Against South Africa in Durban, he fell for 5 off 10, caught at long-on.
One possible line-up starts with Marsh, Head and Connolly, includes Green, Inglis, Renshaw and Edwards in the middle, and finishes with Bartlett, Johnson, Zampa and Beardman. On paper it bats deep into the order. The cost is that ten overs from Edwards become a requirement, and there is little cover behind him on the day.
If Green cannot bowl, he is simply a number four batter, and Edwards takes on the allrounder’s workload by default. My view is to name Edwards as the allrounder and use Green as a top-order batter. Where selectors can pick only one, Edwards is the safer choice.
Selectors have also named Edwards in the T20I group, a five-game series opening on 21 November in Melbourne. Marsh and Zampa travel with him, while Green and Head are restricted to the 50-over games. That split gives Edwards a wider audition than most of his rivals for the allrounder’s job.
His T20I numbers are modest so far: he has played once, scoring 5 and bowling two wicketless overs. Strong displays in the 50-over format would improve his case in both. Seen that way, the Australia vs England first ODI allrounder question is also a test of Edwards’ longer-term place.
Would you pick Edwards for his Wanderers form, or does Green’s bigger record earn the allrounder spot? Tell us in the comments.
Is Jack Edwards in the squad for the England series?
Yes, he features among the 14 selected. Liam Scott is the other newer all-rounder in the group, so the pair compete for the all-round place.
Who is captaining Australia in the white-ball series against England?
Mitchell Marsh leads the side in both formats. Pat Cummins, who normally captains in the 50-over game, is absent for the whole series, leaving Marsh in charge of both formats.
When is the opening match between the two sides, and where is it played?
Play begins at 11:30 am local time in Perth on Friday 13 November. Adelaide stages the second match on 15 November and Hobart the third on 18 November.
Will Cameron Green definitely feature in the series against England?
He is named in the squad and appears in the possible XI. A shoulder complaint from the Test series leaves his bowling uncertain, so he may play only as a batter.
Which allrounders sit in the 50-over squad?
The newer all-round options are Jack Edwards and Liam Scott. Cameron Green also qualifies as a batting all-rounder, though his bowling is in doubt, which narrows the genuine bowling choices.
Disclaimer: This blog post reflects the author’s personal insights and analysis. Readers are encouraged to consider the perspectives shared and draw their own conclusions.
