Australia's T20 side is missing some stars who are already in India. Credit:Getty Images That's resulted in losing the No.1 ranking in the one-day international format, this coming after the 2-0 series defeat in New Zealand, and remaining mid-table in the Twenty20 format after the series was lost to Sri Lanka in Geelong on Sunday night despite there being one more match still to play, in Adelaide on Wednesday. Put simply, Australia are not good enough to win without their top-line players on the field. The debate over why Cricket Australia opted to field two teams concurrently - the Test squad is in India - has prompted players to claim it has eroded the honour of representing one's country, while, as reported by Fairfax Media, also impacting on players financially, for losing series means they miss out on bonus payments. Yes, they are already among the best paid in the world, but that's not the issue here. The flip side, as pointed out by officials, is that this Twenty20 series has given more players the chance to showcase their talent on the international arena, and also collect an international pay day. Would Michael Klinger have made a belated international debut had David Warner been available? Probably not.

An under-strength Australian team just lost the T20 series to Sri Lanka, though there is still a match to play. Credit:Getty Images Warner, incidentally, had been rested from the losing Chappell-Hadlee one-day series in New Zealand ahead of the Indian tour. That was the right call but highlighted the invidious position the national selectors are in. T20 captain Aaron Finch said he expected the issue to bubble. Asela Gunaratne is congratulated by teammates after hitting the winning runs in Geelong. Credit:Getty Images "Every time Australia loses there is always questions asked of everyone, no matter what the format of the game. All those questions will come up, no doubt. It's well above my pay grade to make decisions like that," he said on Sunday night.

"It's been a talking point the whole time when you take out a handful of world-class players but the guys we have got here deserve their spot, absolutely. They have played some fantastic T20 cricket. Take nothing away from that." There are few guarantees in sport, and even had T20 stars Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Glenn Maxwell and Warner - all are in India - been available, an Australian win was not assured. However, those defining last overs at the MCG and Kardinia Park when the tourists won off the final delivery, in each case bowled by Andrew Tye, would almost certainly have been delivered by Starc, the world's best quick, had he been there. Remember Starc, even through a miserable losing Test series, was able to torment the Sri Lankans in their home conditions in July last year, including in a 2-0 T20 series win. Who do you think the tourists would have preferred to face? Former Test paceman Stuart Clark had labelled this summer-ending series the "Who Cares Cup" but that is a debatable call. Backed by a strong local Sri Lankan contingent, more than 42,000 filled the MCG on Friday night - 10,000 more than the ODI against Pakistan in January. It was also the fourth-most watched program on Friday night, with an average of 673,000 viewers tuning in nationally, according to Mediaweek figures. Sunday's attendance of 13,647 in Geelong on what was a rain-marred day was disappointing, for the final figure was lower than any AFL game at the venue in 25 years. However, an average television audience of 698,000 tuned in - the 10th most watched show on the night.

It should also be pointed out the double headers with the Southern Stars have ensured greater exposure via host broadcaster Channel Nine for the women's side in a World Cup year. But it's what happens on the field that really matters, and successive limited-over series defeats for the men's team are a poor look. Player workloads will need to continue to be monitored in the future and missing a game here and there is a necessity, as happened in the home one-day series against Pakistan when Australia won 4-1. However, that argument changes when elite players miss entire series to rest ahead of another - as Josh Hazlewood and Starc did in South Africa and Warner did in New Zealand - or when two international sides are on the go, severely weakening one - in this case the T20 team. Let's hope the ICC and the governing bodies of the member nations, working on a new schedule, get this right.