Healy, Jones call for Wade

Cricket greats Ian Healy and Dean Jones have called for Matthew Wade to be a top-order wildcard and Alex Carey promoted as Australia consider a power-packed batting line-up in a World Cup blockbuster against England.

This could yet lead to replacement batsmen Peter Handscomb and Wade being included for the knock-out clash on Thursday, and Australia not field an all-rounder. That would give the defending champions a deep specialist batting order to match an opponent that boast the best run rate (6.04) of any nation in the past four years.

It would mean skipper Aaron Finch would have only four front-line bowlers -- Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Jason Behrendorff and Nathan Lyon -- and then have to rely on the spin of Glenn Maxwell and part-timers Steve Smith and himself to make up the overs.

This would be a major gamble but on what shapes as an England-friendly, flat batting deck, and potentially needing to chase more than 300 regardless of what attack they field, the Australians are weighing up whether a deep batting order is the best way to go.

Teams sources maintain any combination is possible until a final call on the make-up of the squad is confirmed.