Australia reclaimed the Ashes, and beat down the world’s No.1 Test team with what some called a bully-boy approach – and a return to that strategy looms as the only option for working their way back into the Twenty20 World Cup.
There’s no Mitchell Johnson to rattle the ribs of opponents, but that shouldn’t stop Australia from embracing the aggressive nature which lifted them back to the top of world cricket this summer, according to powerful opener Aaron Finch.
“We have to come harder now and be aggressive, we can’t sit back and wait for the game to come to us,” he said.
“That will suit us even better.”
The backs-to-the-wall scenario is one which Finch says this Australian team will enjoy – like plenty before them.
At the 1999 World Cup Steve Waugh’s side famously dug themselves out of an early hole, winning the tournament despite losing two of their first three matches.
“At some point in the competition you are going to be in this situation regardless of if it’s later in the group stage or the semi-final or the final,” he said.
“There is not a real lot you can do about it, you have to embrace that position.
“And I think Australia do play well under these pressures. We have to take the game right up to them now.”
The challenge starts with Friday’s clash with the West Indies, who lost their opening fixture to India and are in a similar position to Australia.
“They’re very dangerous,” Finch says.
“When you’ve got guys like (Chris) Gayle, (Dwayne) Bravo, Dwayne Smith they can all hit it out of the park.
“You have to get it right with the new ball, especially, against them and hopefully knock over a couple at the top.
“The West Indies are a quality side, defending champions. We are going to have to play at our best to beat these guys.”
Finch also felt the side had learned plenty about their strategies for countering spin at this tournament.
The fact that they’re playing all matches at the same Dhaka ground could also work in their favour.
“I think what we didn’t do we probably didn’t look to hit straight often enough,” he said.
“Me in particular – I probably tried to target the cover boundary.
“We’re going to have to come up with a plan (to play spin) really fast and stick to it.”
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