A five-game losing streak, injuries to several star players and an inability to defend sizeable totals has led to a number of former cricketing greats questioning Australia’s World Cup credentials ahead of the tournament in the Caribbean this month.
The latest in a chorus line of critics of Australia’s recent run of poor form has been former South African batsmen Barry Richards.
Richards intimated that the Australian side was full of stars of the past nearing the end of their careers and suggested that the likes of New Zealand and South Africa now had a greater belief that they could beat the Aussies.
Admittedly Australia’s form in the lead-up to the Cup has left a lot to be desired, but labelling the Australian side a bunch of fading stars is a perilous exercise and shows that Richards has failed to take a look at the record books.
Four of the players named in Australia’s greatest one-day side ever yesterday will be a part of the 15-man squad which will aim to capture an unprecedented third straight World Cup.
Of the quartet, Australian captain Ricky Ponting has averaged 62.82 in his last ten outings, including two centuries against New Zealand in the recent Commonwealth Bank series.
Ponting capped off a stellar summer by dominating the Allan Border Medal count last month.
The Australian skipper won his third medal as Australia’s best player of the past year, and also won the Test and One-Day awards.
Explosive all-rounder Andrew Symonds has averaged 42.00 with the bat in his past ten starts and can lay claim to the title of the best fieldsman in world cricket.
The talented Queenslander is likely to miss the opening matches against Scotland and the Netherlands as he recovers from a bicep strain, but is expected to play in Australia’s crucial clash against South Africa on March 24.
Australian vice-captain Adam Gilchrist, who along with Ponting missed the recent tour of New Zealand in a bid to remain fresh for the World Cup, got his one-day campaign off to a flying start with scores of 60 and 61 against New Zealand and England respectively.
However, the strain of a long summer and the swinging ball proved too much to bear from thereon in as Gilchrist’s highest score for the remainder of the tournament was 29.
Gilchrist was out in the 20’s three times during the Commonwealth series.
He got plenty of starts but failed to convert any of those into a big score.
The West Australian would be well advised to take heed of advice offered by former opening partner Mark Waugh.
Waugh, who was named alongside Gilchrist in Australia’s greatest one-day side of all-time, suggested his former opening partner should scale back his attacking nature and be more patient in the opening five to six overs.
Gilchrist is one of the cleanest strikers in world cricket and doesn’t need to force the issue to make an impact.
The small grounds of the Caribbean should be to his liking.
Of the remaining batsmen likely to be in the starting side for Australia’s opening match against Scotland on March 14, Gilchrist’s partner in crime Matthew Hayden has resurrected his one-day career after several in the media called for his axing.
Hayden has averaged 66.50 in his last ten innings, well above his career average of 41.72.
The Queenslander has scored two centuries, including a stellar 181 not out against New Zealand in Hamilton, the highest score by an Australian ever in one-day international cricket.
Like Symonds, Hayden remains in doubt for the opening matches of the World Cup with a foot injury sustained in the final match of the Chappell-Hadlee series.
Should he fail to be fit in time, all-rounder Shane Watson would be the obvious choice to slot into the opener’s role alongside Gilchrist.
Watson has proven to be a more than adequate replacement at the top of the order, with the Champions Trophy and the final match of the Chappell-Hadlee series prime examples.
The remainder of Australia’s likely top seven for the opening pool match against Scotland have all averaged above 30 in their past ten innings, with only Michael Clarke’s form a concern.
The New South Welshman has averaged just above 15 in his last four innings and like Gilchrist failed to convert starts into big scores in the recent Commonwealth Bank series, with scores of 33, 18, 36 and 33.
With Symonds likely to miss the opening pool matches and a question mark still hanging over how diminished the Queenslander’s impact will be upon his return, the importance of Clarke recapturing form and restricting the opposition during the middle overs with his part-time spinners become paramount.
Australia’s batting ahead of this month’s tournament isn’t the issue, having scored above 300 on four occasions and above 250 twice in their past ten matches.
Their lack of bowling depth was exposed in New Zealand and the fact that spinner Brad Hogg has returned figures of none for 213 in his past five matches is a major concern.
Every major country will have a world-class spinner at their disposal during the Cup, with India possessing Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh and Sri Lanka having Muttiah Muralitharan at their disposal.
While Hogg and Clarke are handy, I wouldn’t put them in the same class as Kumble, Sing and Muralitharan.
It’s obvious that Hogg’s confidence has taken a dent from being in and out of the side throughout the course of the summer, but with the pitches in the Caribbean tipped to favour spinners the Australian selectors will be hoping Hogg recaptures some of the form which saw him collect 13 wickets at an average of 24 in the 2003 World Cup.
With strike weapon Brett Lee sidelined with injury, the remainder of Australia’s bowling stocks have taken a pounding, with every pace bowler other than Glenn McGrath going at more than five an over, while Watson has the inflated figures of 6.10 runs per over.
The decision by Cricket Australia to send national bowling coach Troy Cooley to join the squad for the duration of the World Cup is a wise one.
The Australian bowlers lost focus during the recent Chappell-Hadlee series, with McGrath and Nathan Bracken practically handing the Kiwis victory with low full tosses which were promptly smacked to the boundary by Brendon McCullum on both occasions to secure a 3-0 series win.
While Australia’s bowling has been nothing short of abysmal of late, it isn’t exactly time for panic stations either.
Bear in mind that the bulk of the side that knocked England over for 110 on Australia Day in Adelaide will tour the Caribbean, with Lee the only notable absentee.
However, with Lee out of the World Cup squad the Australian’s lack an out and out genuine wicket taker who can change the course of the match in a matter of overs.
Ponting and his bowlers will therefore need to adopt a pack-like mentality.
They can no longer rely on the brilliance of Shane Warne and with McGrath nearing the end of a stellar career, every Australian bowler will need to be on their game if they are to claim a third straight World Cup.
Australia may be in the midst of an extended losing streak, but as we have seen in the past Australian sides thrive when their backs are to the wall.
One only has to look back at the past two World Cup’s to appreciate the steely resolve that has formed the fabric of the Australian cricket team since the Steve Waugh era.
Any nation who writes off Australia’s chances in the Caribbean on the back of a few defeats is doing so at their own peril.
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