Australia have an emerging problem with defending massive totals. But will it be less relevant come next year’s World Cup?
Three of the last five times Australia have set a run chase in a one-day international, their opponents have mowed down an enormous total.
First India reined in giant scores of 359 and 350 in the subcontinent in October last year. Then South Africa clinically surpassed the total of 327 set by Australia in Harare on Wednesday.
But, for the moment, this issue may not matter as much as some may think. Australia are a bat first team. They prefer to have initial use of the wicket, set a large total and then back their potent pace attack to defend it.
Since the start of 2012, they have batted first in 72 per cent of their ODI matches. During that period, they have set their opponents large chases of more than 275 in 15 of those 38 times when batting first.
Eleven times they successfully defended those totals. Four times they coughed up the win. That is a very reasonable ratio.
However, three of those four failures have not only come in recent times but also when they’ve set mammoth chases. This problem, though, only rears its mutant head when Australia are playing on ultra-flat, dry decks on small grounds.
In Australian conditions the highest run chase they have given up since the start of 2012 is 280 against Sri Lanka in Hobart two-and-a-half years ago.
Faced with hard, responsive decks and man-sized boundaries the Australian attack is an entirely different proposition. Faf du Plessis delighted in lunging onto the front foot to launch Mitchell Johnson for six on a road of a surface in Harare this week.
But transplant that contest to the Gabba or the WACA and Faf’s feet would likely be glued to the crease as he became the hunted, not the hunter.
Fortunately for Australia, the only one-day matches of any significance in the near future will take place in their home conditions. Forget ODI rankings, the World Cup starting in Australia in February is all that matters.
The likes of du Plessis and Indian shotmakers Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will have a monumental task to replicate their bullying of the Aussie bowlers on lively pitches Down Under.
If Cricket Australia are wise they will ensure the decks for the World Cup are blindingly quick. Australia’s lack of an effective spin bowler is their sole weakness.
This Achilles heel has been brutally exposed on dry foreign decks. But it can be masked in a home environment where the likes of Johnson and Mitchell Starc will become major weapons swinging the ball at more than 145 kilometres per hour.
All-rounders James Faulkner and Shane Watson are also more bowlers on Australian pitches. In fact, Australia’s pace depth is such that they may not even choose to field a specialist spinner consistently in the World Cup.
The Australian selectors may believe that the likes of Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Michael Clarke and even opening batsman Aaron Finch can provide the side with sufficient spin options in conditions more suited to the quicks.
Such a strategy seemed to backfire on Australia on Wednesday when they clearly lacked a frontline spin option after omitting Nathan Lyon.
But that Harare deck could scarcely be more different to the surfaces we will see in the World Cup. Meanwhile, one point which has been somewhat overlooked in the rush to ridicule Australia’s inability to defend bog totals is the fact that their batting line-up is in monstrous touch.
Australia’s batting depth at ODI level is extraordinary. Against South Africa, they were without three superstar members of their top four in Michael Clarke, Shane Watson and David Warner.
Yet they still smashed 327 against an attack boasting Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and the sixth-ranked ODI bowler in the world Ryan McLaren.
That trio of Australian batsman form a brilliant base for any ODI top six. Then add in Aaron Finch, who has three tons in his past seven ODIs, the fourth-ranked ODI batsman in the world George Bailey, and perhaps the side’s most-feared batsman Glenn Maxwell, who over his past 16 matches has averaged 44 at a strike rate above 130.
Warner, Finch, Watson, Clarke, Bailey and Maxwell are the best, most destructive top six in ODI cricket.
If they continue to make huge 300-plus scores in the World Cup, teams like India and South Africa will be at long odds to chase them down.
Broken-hearted Toy
Guest
Sign of everyone's immaturity then. Most sports fans are the same the world over.
jammel
Guest
Looks like a good squad Ronan. The only one I really query is Cutting - I'd prefer someone selected for their pace bowling ability only in that spot - e.g. Pattinson or Bird or Harris or Siddle or Richardson or even someone else...
Rellum
Roar Guru
Just a sign of our immaturity as a society.
jammel
Guest
Agree re your comment on bowling ability outside of Johnson, Tom! On the Zimbabwe match, a few observations: Zimbabwe were good, let's not fail to point this out. But I think we were poor and that needs to be said as well. While I wouldn't be overly concerned as ups and downs in ODI cricket are commonplace, this match did reveal my two central concerns with the Australian ODI XI - see below. So it is probably a good thing these were exposed now with plenty of time to make tweaks to the line-up/approach. 1.) batting order. We have too many "go-ers" in terms of Warner/Finch/Watson/Maxwell/Bailey, etc. While it might be unpopular, you always need guys to bat around in ODI cricket. Clarke in this category is not enough. I'd suggest Smith in for Bailey in this regard (although Bailey is sensation when he pulls it off!). While Smith mightn't have earned it yet, he's a quality batsman and we can bat around him. The other problem with the batting order is there is no fully qualified "finisher" in the mould of a Bevo or a Mike Hussey. Perhaps Smith could become a batsman to fulfil such a role? Bailey should still be in the WC squad though. 2.) bowling experience. Behind Johnson (and Harris), and perhaps McKay, we have lots of quality bowlers, but none are really accomplished in ODI cricket yet. They aren't reliable in terms of always delivering and don't have the experience under pressure when defending totals in particular - big or small. I think the answer lies in picking specialist bowlers like McKay, Starc, Pattinson and perhaps Bird over the likes of M Marsh and even Faulkner. Don't get me wrong, I am a massive fan of Faulkner. But he needs to offer more now - i.e. he should have opened the bowling instead of M Marsh. (Indeed he should have bowled more in the recent AusA matches!) Faulkner is a really quality player, but I think he needs to take more responsibility in the bowling department. And with Watson and Maxwell already shoe-ins in the ODI XI, we don't need another all rounder. Also, Lyon needs to play as much ODI cricket as possible over the coming months. So my WC XI would take shape as follows: 1 Warner 2 Finch 3 Watson 4 Clarke 5 Maxwell 6 Smith 7 Haddin 8 Johnson 9 Starc 10 Harris 11 Lyon (McKay should probably play if Harris isn't available) I think there are 16 man WC squads. If that's the case, my reserves would be: 12 Bailey 13 Faulkner 14 O'Keefe 15 Pattinson 16 McKay
ChrisT
Guest
If you hadn't noticed, Australian sports men and women are rarely if ever beaten, they just play badly .....
bryan
Guest
I think I counted it 18 times over 45minutes.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
The players will be desperately trying to win the tournament, no doubt. But the selectors are clearly experimenting now, while there is basically nothing at stake, to try to prepare for the WC. To be honest though, there isn't a lot to be tweaked prior to the WC...Australia's first-choice XI is set in stone apart from the third seamer's spot and, maybe, the spinner's role. And the guys competing for those spots are all well-known commodities, apart from Lyon (at ODI level, anyway).
StrYdeR
Roar Rookie
Haha... well if we managed to "import" Mujati and Mtwarira then I'm sure something can be arranged and with bowling like his and a first name of Prosper he could just make all the difference...
Brains of a bimbo (Atgm)
Guest
http://uc.m.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/65405/michael-clarke-i-didnt-get-the-team-i-wanted
Dog's Breakfast
Guest
Big call. Great confidence. What do you make of how the selectors are treating this tournament? They say they want to win it, yet with the teams they've put up and then Clarke mentioning how the selectors have told him (and I presume Bailey) they want bowlers to bowl at certain times in a match so they can have a look at them... I would've thought you could learn far more about a player by getting them to just go out there and try to win the match.
Charl
Guest
Stryder, you know us Saffas, we never give up ;) maybe we can import Utseya for the World Cup
StrYdeR
Roar Rookie
How many times has Faf started at 3 BB? I think we need to give him time there. I also think it's a good spot for him, if the openers go really well then maybe change it up with one of Miller or Duminy leapfrogging him, but at 3 Faf will more often than not give us Kallisesque solidity if needed and given the WC is in NZ/Aus, I suspect #3 going to be coming in relatively early...
Vic
Guest
Oh, give him a break. Will only happen again in 33 yrs time.......
StrYdeR
Roar Rookie
No point trying to counter that is there? Oh wait there was that Champions Trophy win in 1937 BC... Can only hope the Proteas get it right at the WC... but looking at the schedule it seems the organisers have tried very hard to keep the Proteas away from anything that resembles a fast bouncing pitch... Vern better get his act together for all their games in NZ... he could be a star with the seam movement that's likely to be on offer.
StrYdeR
Roar Rookie
Oh man!! Well given how close Zim came to beating our Proteas last time, save those messages you might get a chance to send them right back after the their next game ;-)
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Don't forget that Australia hadn't played a single ODI in seven months prior to this series. It was always unlikely they'd be at their best. Compare that to the timing of the World Cup which comes at the tail end of the Aussie summer when they should be cherry ripe.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
I wouldn't be too worried about that...just pick the best three quicks regardless of left/right. But at the moment Faulkner is hard pressed to stay in the side.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
I also think Lyon is smart enough to become a better Test bowler through exposure to ODIs. It will force him out of his comfort zone by being under attack so often.
Rellum
Roar Guru
I have seen a few outlets claiming how bad we played yesterday but for me it was, at least with our batting it was a case of them bowling well and exploiting our weaknesses. We didn't play well, but Zimbabwe out played us over the course of the game.
Dog's Breakfast
Guest
Some good thoughts but it's treading dangerously to say that home conditions will win us the day. Look at India in the ODIs in the UK. Think there are more questions than answers at the moment. Clarke would be welcomed into any side but he has to be fit for the whole World Cup. Not good to have continual uncertainty. Need more versatility in the bowling. Starc and Johnson too similar. Can only afford one in the team. Need a specialist spinner. Hope they stick with Lyon. Need a good death bowler. Faulkner really needs to pull his finger out there. Part-timers didn't look a patch on Zimbabwean counterparts last night on a pitch that was supposed to assist them. Clarke very vocal last night when his bowlers would not bowl to the fields set. Bailey has had the same problem. Part of the reason we have trouble defending large totals. Batting needs to improve against spin. It will be used against us. If used well, even on our pitches, we could be in trouble if we have a day like yesterday. Not brimming with confidence. Would like to see more from out team.