Dumped Australian one-day star George Bailey has let his bat do the talking with a Big Bash half-century that could have selectors questioning their decision.
A day after he was omitted from the 14-man limited overs squad to take on Pakistan in the upcoming ODI series, Bailey made an unbeaten 69 for Hobart Hurricanes at Bellerive Oval on Sunday.
The former ODI skipper's innings included seven boundaries and a six but he refused to have a verbal dig at selectors or comment on his exclusion.
"I'm hitting the ball nicely I reckon," he said after the match.
And does batting form in the shortest format translate to the one-day game?
"I'm not sure, we won't find out now will we."
Australian coach Darren Lehmann said the decision to leave out Bailey was a tough one, but pointed to the the 34-year-old Tasmanian's poor batting form, averaging just 13 in the past seven games.
"It's down to performances from George. So he's got to go back and make big runs," Lehmann said.
"The door's not shut on any of those players. With Champions Trophy coming up, George has got to perform well and really put his case forward."
Along with Bailey, Aaron Finch and Hilton Cartwright were also axed from the ODI squad.
