Australia is facing a whirlwind of changes in their ODI squad just before the ICC Champions Trophy. Due to a mix of injuries and personal reasons, some of their top players, including captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood, have had to withdraw. They’re being replaced by younger, less experienced players from Pakistan.

One of the more unexpected moves is Marcus Stoinis announcing his retirement from ODIs, even though he was included in the squad for the Champions Trophy. This decision has drawn some criticism from former captain Aaron Finch.

Finch expressed his thoughts on the Around The Wicket podcast for ESPN Australia, saying, "When you've been trusted by the selectors, coach, and captain, maybe a little more communication would have been nice? I’d be surprised if this was a spur-of-the-moment choice; I bet there were discussions between (coach) Andrew McDonald and Stoinis leading up to it."

Aaron Hardie, a powerful all-rounder, will step in for Stoinis, joining pacers Spencer Johnson, Sean Abbott, and Ben Dwarshuis, along with batter Jake Fraser-McGurk and spinner Tanveer Sangha. Cooper Connolly has also been named as a traveling reserve after making his Test debut in Galle.

Finch thinks Stoinis is headed down the T20 path

Finch mentioned that Stoinis might be leaning towards prioritizing T20 cricket in franchise leagues instead of playing ODIs for Australia. "Ultimately, every player gets to choose their own path. If you look at Marcus Stoinis over the past few years, he seems to favor the T20 format," Finch said.

"Traveling from Pakistan to India right after a summer of cricket at home could mean being away for four to five months, so that might have played a role in his choice," Finch added.

Meanwhile, Steven Smith is stepping up to captain Australia in the tournament, taking over for Cummins during the Sri Lanka Test series. Australia has two ODI warm-up matches in Sri Lanka, having lost the first one by 49 runs in Colombo, before kicking off their Champions Trophy journey with a match against England.

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