Australia’s World Cup preparations are in full swing with selectors giving the first taste of what its squad might look like in just over three months’ time.

National selectors on Thursday announced a 15-man ODI squad that will tour India from February 24. The tour kicks off Australia’s preparations for the Cricket World Cup, which starts in the UK on May 30.

Those who weren’t named to tour India appear to not be part of selectors’ World Cup calculations, while those who were can’t afford to falter so close to the showpiece event.

Here are the winners and losers from the latest squad announcement.

LOSERS

MATTHEW WADE
If runs are a batsman’s currency, then Wade’s must trade lower than the Indian rupee.

The 31-year-old has made them in bulk in domestic cricket this season but still can’t earn himself a ‘welcome back’ to the national set-up. He’s the Big Bash League’s second-highest scorer (487 runs at 44.27) this season, and tops the Sheffield Shield charts (571 at 63.44) at the mid-season break.

He was ignored for Test selection because he didn’t bat high enough to be considered as a specialist batsman, but that excuse can’t be used here as he opens for Hobart Hurricanes.

After scoring 16 on debut, Lynn failed to get his ODI career off the ground against South Africa in November with just 59 runs at 19.66.

He appears to still be paying the price for that performance that also saw him left out of last month’s three-match series against India. Nonetheless, he is averaging 35.00 in the BBL and could be just one game away from becoming the competition’s all-time leading run-scorer.

His World Cup hopes now hang by a thread.

TRAVIS HEAD
The left-hander had a disastrous ODI series against South Africa, failing to make it into double digits in all three matches.

He hasn’t played a white-ball game for his nation since, as he didn’t take part in any T20 matches over the summer, and was dropped for the three ODIs against India. But that coincided with a steady rise in Test cricket, in which he now holds an impressive average of 51.00 after eight matches.

His 161 and unbeaten 59 in his last two innings still wasn’t enough to put him back in the ODI frame, though.

PETER SIDDLE
Even with Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood injured for the series, there was no room for Siddle, which could spell the end of his international aspirations once and for all.

He didn’t deliver in the three ODIs against India, in which he took just one wicket.

Now Kane Richardson has nipped ahead of the 34-year-old in the pecking order, which could be the final nail in the coffin.

WINNERS

D’ARCY SHORT
Short put his best foot forward in the BBL and will now reap the rewards after disappointing against South Africa in November.

He lasted just two balls, dismissed for a duck in the first of three ODIs before being dropped for the rest of the series. His next chance in Australia colours was in a T20 against the same opposition when he was removed for a golden duck. But he has since crushed 567 runs at 63.00 in the BBL to be the competition’s highest-scorer.

He is expected, however, to be replaced in the squad from the third ODI by Shaun Marsh who awaits the birth of his second child. Nonetheless, there is ample opportunity for Short to shine.

ALEX CAREY
The ODI vice-captain earns himself another chance in the 50-over game despite a poor run at the top of the order against India in January. In the three-match series, he never scored more than 25 and averaged just 15.66.

He was, however, among Australia’s best batsman in the three-match series against South Africa in November, when he averaged 40.66 batting in the middle-order. He holds his spot despite a rampant Wade piling on the runs in domestic cricket.

KANE RICHARDSON
Richardson’s last taste of ODI cricket came during June’s tour of England, where he struggled across three matches, taking five wickets at 42.80. That saw him have no involvement in any white-ball fixtures for Australia this summer.

However, he thrust himself back into the limelight as the BBL’s leading wicket-taker, claiming 22 wickets at 13.77 for the Melbourne Renegades. Although, if it wasn’t for injuries to Starc and Hazlewood, then that may not have been enough to secure a re-call.

ASHTON TURNER
As national selector Trevor Hohns said on Thursday, Turner has been on the radar for some time.

His 69 against the Melbourne Stars last week was timely given he didn’t score more than five runs in his four innings before that. Even so, the right-hander is averaging 34.36 in this season’s BBL and also averaged 38.60 in the domestic One-Day Cup.

After three appearances at T20I level, he is now in-line to make his ODI debut - and the timing couldn’t be any better with the World Cup just around the corner.

Australia ODI squad: Aaron Finch (c), Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Ashton Turner, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey (vc), Pat Cummins (vc), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa, *D’Arcy Short - selected to cover S.Marsh for the start of the tour.

TOUR OF INDIA
First T20 – February 24

ACA-VDCA Stadium, Visakhapatnam

Second T20 – February 27

M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

First ODI - March 2

Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Dehradun

Second ODI - 5 March

Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur

Third ODI - 8 March

JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi

Fourth ODI - 10 March

Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali

Fifth ODI - 13 March

Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi