the 2015 ODI World Cup. In August 2017, he was named in a World XI side to play three Twenty20 International matches against Pakistan in the 2017 Independence Cup in Lahore. In the third match of the series, Bailey undertook wicketkeeping duties. Channel Nine controversy During the 2012–13 summer, George Bailey led a one-day Australian team lacking draw-cards David Warner and Shane Watson. This led to criticism from Channel Nine, who broadcast the game. Bailey defended the side at a press conference, saying Channel Nine were motivated in part by a desire to talk down the game and thus pay a cheaper price for the TV rights: I can probably understand it coming from Channel Nine. I think they're about to go into negotiations for the TV rights. I think that was a pretty tactical move to try to talk down one-day cricket and what the Australian team's putting out. But it's still called the Australian cricket team. Channel Nine's executive director of cricket, and former NSW player Brad McNamara, angrily denied this: Nowhere has Channel Nine ever talked the one-day game down, nowhere have we ever said this is a 'B team'. It's rubbish and George should stick to playing cricket and leave (television) rights to the people who know what they're talking about. I reckon he's got his hands full as it is. He needs to concentrate on staying in the side. And he needs to understand where his money's coming from. Without the TV rights deal, George is probably working in a coalmine or flipping burgers at McDonald's. Cricket writer Jarrod Kimber later argued that this caused a permanent schism between Bailey and Channel Nine. He says it was brought to a head during the 2013–14 Ashes test in Sydney, when Bailey failed to make a fifty in two attempts: It seemed that no one in the Channel Nine box could make a comment about him that wasn't negative. His feet, hands, technique and temperament were questioned. His second-innings 46 was not enough. And they weren't always wrong. It just seemed kind of mean. Especially when at the back of the press box some seemed happy when he was out. But it went deeper than McNamara's comments. Bailey had made mistakes in his career. He hadn't made enough first-class runs. He hadn't come into the team as a young man. He came into the captaincy without playing