Write Australia off at your own peril

23rd March, 2018 was the darkest day in the history of Australian Cricket. During the third Test match against South Africa in Cape Town, Cameron Bancroft was caught by television cameras trying to rough up one side of the ball with sandpaper to make it swing in flight. Later on, both Bancroft and captain Steven Smith confessed in a press conference that it was a pre-planned attempt to cause the ball to reverse, with Smith claiming responsibility on behalf of the “leadership group”, which also included vice-captain David Warner. It was a day where their cricket hit rock bottom. What followed was a very unfortunate series of events. Steve Smith and David Warner were banned from playing the game for a period of 12 months. They were in complete shambles heading into the World Cup where they had to defend their crown. Did these events have an impact on their performances? Absolutely. They were whitewashed 5–0 against a flamboyant England team and even went on to concede the highest ever total in ODIs. They were humbled by India in their own backyard in the test series. They were heading into the mega tournament without knowing what their best team was and who their skipper would be.

They toured India for a 5 ODI series and this was expected to be a walk in the park for the hosts. They did lose the first couple of games too. But they managed to pull off a miraculous come-from-behind series win. Australia found several heroes right through the series — Khawaja’s consistent run at the top, the opening bursts of Cummins and the incisive leggies of Adam Zampa. Skipper Finch’s form was a huge worry but he silenced his critics a fortnight later. The Aussies were rampant in their demolition on Pakistan and Finch just pummelled the bowlers and ended up with 452 runs at an average of 112.75. With the return of Smith and Warner, the team looked in good shape in the build-up to the showpiece tournament.

Solidity at the top

In Finch and Warner, Australia have an opening pair who have tons of experience. Though Warner had a stellar IPL, he tends to be scratchy in the initial stages of his innings. He gets caught up in the act and in a Warner innings, there are always a couple of lose shots. Another issue with the post-ban Warner is his inability to rotate the strike. He has managed a couple of centuries in the World Cup but they have come at a slow pace and not the typical Dave-tons. Finch, on the other hand, throws caution to the wind with his stroke play. He is an absolute impact player. Yes, he is almost unstoppable when he gets in the zone but he is unable to get out of a slump in form too. Remember the India series? Khawaja has been in sublime form in the past three months but there a few questions regarding his technique and ability to combat the short delivery. So, the top 3 can make merry on their day but can be back in the hut in no time if the bowling is good.

The Number 3 Conundrum

Usman Khawaja is nobody’s favourite. He is not the first name to appear on the team sheet. This is not to say that he is not a quality batsman. He certainly is. He is a classy left hander who goes about his business in a quiet manner. He averages upwards of 40 in his short career in the limited overs format. But the rate at which he accumulates those runs is a cause of worry in the present-day game where 350 is considered par. Steve Smith is still walking his way back into the international circuit and tends to bide his time when he enters the crease. He, along with Khawaja consume a lot of dot balls while building the innings and this has hurt Australia badly in the opening few games of the World Cup. The inability to keep the scoreboard ticking in the middle overs has been the hallmark of their innings’ and it is due to this that Australia are the slowest run getters in the overs 11–40. Now comes the question, why send Smith at 4? The former captain has been a proven performer for the side over the years and managed to score 4 consecutive scores of 50 and more in the previous edition of the World Cup. We have also seen Khawaja being capable of the using the long handle too. This change might eventually end the worries of run scoring in the middle overs.

Shaky Middle Order

Between the explosive opening pair and the fiery compilation of bowlers, the defending champions have a middle order which has often been found wanting. Smith and Khawaja are innings builders with the occasional big shot. Glenn Maxwell, being the ‘big-show’ he is, has been used as a floater over the last year. As everyone would agree, nobody knows which Maxwell turns up on a given day. It’s his unpredictability that makes the middle order look vulnerable. He is capable of scoring a fifty in 20 balls but also gets in a rut and it seems impossible for him to get out of it. Alex Carey, the man behind the stumps, has done enough to justify his selection ahead of the experienced duo of Matthew Wade and Tim Paine but he too is unreliable. Would you count on him to win a game with 200 required of 25 overs? Would he take you to a competitive total when you are struggling at 40–5? Again, Marcus Stoinis is a utility player every team loves to have but he too is not a proven performer. He sure has had his glimpses of glory but he just has not done it on a consistent basis. The dearth of allrounders in the country has made his selection almost inevitable. Nathan Coulter-Nile has the ability to strike big but his tendency to leak runs and not get wickets has made the team lean towards Jason Behrendroff who is purely a bowler. Even with such talented players, the onus is on Smith to carry the innings and set it up for the latter overs.

Frightening bowling line-up

Mitchell Starc is back to his original self and seems to have made his mind up to beat Glenn McGrath’s tall of World Cup wickets. With an astonishing 46 wickets in just 16 games, he is getting better every game. He has been able to swing the new Kookaburra ball with pace and has caused problems for the opposition batsmen. Hailed by Mitchell Johnson as ‘a captain’s dream’, Pat Cummins has found success from a role he’s seldom donned for his team in ODI cricket, bowling with the new ball. Having seamlessly transitioned from a first change bowler to a new ball bowler, he has complimented Starc beautifully and has been Finch’s go-to man when in need of a wicket. And boy, he has delivered. Jason Behrendroff’s stocks seem to be rising by the day as his swing bowling proves to be a handful in English conditions. Coulter-Nile and Kane Richardson make up what looks to be a formidable pace bowling combination. The lack of a decent spinner is also hurting Australia’s ODI team. Adam Zampa was pencilled in as the first-choice spinner for the tournament but has proved to be ineffective and expensive. Glenn Maxwell is a part-timer and the team cannot depend on him to pickup wickets at regular intervals. Nathan Lyon, the classical off-spinner with his clever variations maybe a solution to this problem, especially in the latter stages when the pitches tend to become drier.

Balance and Injuries

Marcus Stoinis, the batting all-rounder from Perth, is a vital cog in the Australian setup. In his absence, the team looks thin on the bowling front. An untimely injury to the ever-improving Jhye Richardson proved to be costly as he was set to feature in the playing XI. Any injury to the top order makes them look shaky as they do not have a like-for-like replacement. A side-strain to Stoinis proved costly as they found it difficult to finish the quota of 10 overs of the fifth bowler and the replacement could not play the big shots as effectively as Stoinis. He is key to the balance of the team and his absence makes the team look thin on both fronts. He is also been their primary death overs specialist after Starc and a half-fit Stoinis has meant that Australia have the third worst economy rate in the overs 41–50. The presence of Smith, Warner and Maxwell makes it easier for the bowlers as they are brilliant fielders and save 15–20 runs for the team on every occasion. This makes them a very good fielding side supported by the fact that they have been the second-best fielding side in terms of catches taken.

Verdict

Coming into the World Cup ranked at number six, Australia have done well to get the better of all the teams bar India. Their ability to grind it out in the middle has ensured that they get to respectable totals even when the top order has failed. The presence of experienced men has helped as they have managed to stay calm in tense situations and come out on the right side of the coin. They certainly have the batting to amass totals above 350. In Maxwell, they have one of the most dangerous batsmen in the shorter format of the game. The middle order comprising of him, Stoinis and Carey, have the power and technique to make most of the foundation set by the top order. Starc and Cummins breathe fire with the ball and have the ability to pick wickets in heaps. Behrendroff has proved to be a valuable addition and his match-winning contributions were evident in the win against the hosts. If Lyon or Zampa, along with Stoinis and Maxwell can keep the batsmen quiet and pick up the odd wicket in the middle overs, Australia will prove to be a handful. Having come into the tournament not as favourites, they have done well to get into the last 4. A couple of complete performances in do-or-die games would see Finch get his hands on the biggest trophy in the history of the sport at the Lord’s balcony for a record sixth time.