Australia’s 15-member squad, set to lift the men’s T20 World Cup trophy for the second time, is expected to drop out next week. Andrew MacDonald’s side have gone through 27 different players in the format since their disappointing group stage exit in 2022 on home soil.
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The exodus is at odds with the remarkably established white-ball core that also led Australia to the 50-over title in India last year. This year’s tournament could feature up to 10 members of the team that won Australia’s inaugural T20I title in November 2021, and a similar number could follow the unlikely ODI triumph in Ahmedabad last year.
However, expect to see fresher faces in the wider squad, some of whom have been standout KFC BBL players in recent years, and the Aussies will face a new challenge in the form of pitches in the Caribbean.
Top-order batters/allrounders
Australia showed their strength by repurposing their top three 50-over World Cup winners into the shorter white-ball format. Mitch Marsh’s appointment as captain of the tournament is subject to the approval of the CA board and he is also expected to overcome the hamstring injury that cut short his Indian Premier League career.
He will likely finish third behind Travis Head and David Warner. The trio should be the first to embrace the new rock in the Caribbean, even though Head was a relative newcomer to international T20 cricket (he had only played one T20I in the five years before last year’s tour of South Africa).
The left-hander’s stunning attack in the IPL has highlighted his status as one of the most devastating openers in the game. His addition leaves Steve Smith on the wing, although the former captain’s versatility (having played at number one in the BBL most recently) could still make him a valuable player in the 15-man squad.
Jake Fraser-McGurk’s continued rise will have selectors wondering whether he should at least be invited to the Caribbean, although his international experience is limited to two ODIs so far.
Double BBL MVP Matthew Short may still be ahead of him in the pecking order given his encouraging early performances in international cricket and the effectiveness of his off-breaks. The poster boy in this category is Cameron Green, but the all-rounder has done little in the IPL to further his interests and has not featured for the Australian T20 World Cup team since the last World Cup.
Middle-order batters/allrounders
What was once a weak point has become an area of stability in recent years. Smith is the only member of the 2021 T20 World Cup winning team to fall out of the top spot in the engine room, with Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Tim David forming a resilient group of dynamic finishers.
Coach MacDonald has opted to play with only four pro bowlers in his white-ball teams, meaning the ability of Maxwell and Stoinis to bowl important overs will once again be vital to Australia’s fortunes, especially with Marsh’s role with the ball in recent times time decreases.
Short could be a consideration in the middle given his dual abilities, though he has batted outside the top three in just two of his eight T20I innings while his bowling strengths (which include being a wicket-taking option in the Powerplay) largely overlap with Maxwell’s.
Beyond that, Aaron Hardie appears to be the next cab off the rank in the pace-bowling allrounder ranks, while Smith could yet reprise a role outside the top three as a middle-order anchor. You can also read England spinner confident of defending T20 World Cup title.
Wicketkeepers
Matthew Wade’s distinguished international career has endured despite his own doubts it will continue beyond the last World Cup, and continued worry about the prospects of Josh Inglis.
Both should on the plane to the Caribbean, especially with Inglis showing his production as a specialist batting specialist, despite Tim Paine’s recent suggestion that a second wicketkeeper may not required and Fraser-McGurk may be a better alternative.
But Inglis showed that he can the next best middle-order player outside of the current batsmen and smashed a century against India last November when he given the number three spot. But Australia’s faith in Wade as their gloveman is borne out by the numbers; in 25 innings since the start of the 2021 World Cup, he has averaged 52 with the bat and maintained a strike rate of 151.60, mostly from number seven. In two of those hits, he only faced more than 25 balls per inning. His left-handedness also remains a factor given the abundance of righties above him.
Spin bowlers
This forms the area of greatest intrigue. Adam Zampa missed out on the IPL and should be in fine form to shine again on the biggest stage, while the Aussies have won the T20 World Cup and ODI World Cup in Asia in recent years with Maxwell as their number two opener.
Whether Maxwell (and perhaps Short) will be enough to cover spin at the tournament remains a matter of debate, given the likelihood that slow serves will become more common as the tournament progresses.
Ashton Agar is the most established backup option and has shown he can form a strong alliance with Zampa. But the Australians won the ODI World Cup without him in the squad last year and he is increasingly starting to field in T20s, having played just one T20I in the last 22 months. Injury, his low T20I strike rate, Zampa’s form and Australia’s preference for only four professional bowlers were all factors in his exclusion. Tanveer Sangha could provide insurance for Zampa, who filled the role in last year’s ODI World Cup when the incumbent leggie played despite multiple ailments.
Pace bowlers
Surprise, surprise, the big three – Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc – look set to lead Australia’s line again. With fast bowlers increasingly finding success in all three formats, the biggest challenge for the trio will be bringing their skills up to par with their T20 specialist counterparts. Cummins and Starc are gaining momentum in the ongoing IPL, while Hazlewood (who missed the tournament due to the birth of his child) has benefited greatly from his participation in the tournament. There will be at least one substitute player in the lineup.
Selected for the spot for Australia’s last T20 tour in New Zealand, Nathan Ellis looks like the favorite to be unlucky enough to miss out on a place at the last World Cup. Spencer Johnson performed well on that trip after being called up late and has since continued to push his case in the IPL. Sean Abbott may be a little behind the pair, while reigning Men’s T20I Player of the Year Jason Behrendorff suffered an untimely leg injury last month.
Struggling David Warner, A Concern for Australia Ahead Of Cricket T20 World Cup
David Warner is in the middle of an extended retirement tour of international cricket. He ended his career, aged over 50, in fairytale fashion with a stunning World Cup triumph when Australia stunned hosts India last November. He then embarked on a lengthy Test farewell in the Australian summer, which seemed a bit harsh as Warner was a polarizing figure even among his own countrymen.
Some have never forgiven Warner for his role in Australia’s infamous 2018 cheating scandal, which led to a 12-month ban and a life ban from management – a punishment he unsuccessfully tried to overturn. Although he has teased that he will be available if needed for next year’s Champions Trophy, Warner’s last dance will be at the upcoming T20 World Cup in the US and Caribbean.
But Warner has out of form in the Indian Premier League – the world’s biggest and most lucrative T20 competition – and dropped from the Delhi Capitals squad after scoring just 37 runs in his final four innings. There are reports in Australia that Warner is struggling with injury.
The 37-year-old recently sidelined with a thumb injury, but his demotion – whatever the reason – is undoubtedly a cause for concern with the T20 World Cup in the US and Caribbean just over a month away. Australia set to announce their squad next month and Warner is guaranteed to in it. But there are questions about the composition of Australia’s opening combination. Warner supposed to guaranteed a spot with intrigue as to who would partner with him.
T20 World Cup – Australia’s Power-Packed Batting Line-up
Travis Head, who became something of a cult figure in Australia after his heroics in the World Cup final and the revelry thereafter, essentially cemented his place as an opener by delivering crushing knocks to take Sunrisers Hyderabad to No. 1 in the IPL.
And Australia’s hierarchy may intrigued by dynamic youngster Jake Fraser-McGurk, who has enjoyed the bright lights of the IPL while its batting-friendly pitches have suited the power forward coming off a breakthrough domestic season for Australia.
With big hits in vogue – Australia’s batting line-up is fill with strong batsmen, relegating legendary long-spinner Steve Smith to the spectators – Fraser-McGurk prove a compelling case for national selectors.
But if something goes wrong, such as his injury getting worse, Warner will almost certainly start the World Cup in Australia. Romanticism aside, this is not a perfect ending. In the past, Australia’s hard-line leaders have not allowed sentiment to sway them.
Warner’s expertise will come to the fore in the Caribbean, where Australia is entirely based. They will not play US host cities New York, Dallas and Lauderhill as Australia opens its campaign against Oman on June 6.
Given that Australia rarely play against smaller cricketing nations, they don’t travel to the Caribbean very often. Warner is one of the few Australian players with experience of playing in the Caribbean Premier League. Although West Indies pitches tend to be much smaller than Australia’s, the surfaces can be slow and spin-friendly – similar to South Asia, a terrain that Australia has struggled with in the past.
The Volatility of T20 World Cup Cricket
Warner’s underrated batting ability – where he can tone down his aggressiveness depending on the situation – makes him an invaluable batter in a team that likely won’t include Smith. Australia could be favorites for the T20 World Cup. They have looked unstoppable at times against New Zealand and the West Indies during the build-up, but there will undoubtedly be nervous moments along the way in the short format which could be volatile.
Ironically, given his tempestuous behavior at times, Warner appears to be the stabilizing factor for a shambolic Australian batting line-up that can descend into recklessness when things don’t work out. If he can become a stabilizing force and shrug off his current problems, then David Warner’s long-winded retirement tour will end in fairy tale fashion.
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