Today’s one-off match against England at Cardiff could appear to be just another throw away T20 match. But, with only just over six months to the World Twenty20, it is a rare chance for Australia to test out their line-up.
AUSTRALIA VS ENGLAND T20 FULL SCOREBOARD
While the Big Bash League now dominates the domestic season, the national T20 side doesn’t get many outings.
Between now and the World Cup in India, Australia have only seven scheduled T20 matches.
While more could be added in the lead up to the tournament it does not offer the selectors much time to decide upon their favoured 11-12 players or for that group to jell.
For a nation which has been the dominant ODI team in world cricket for most of the past 20 years, Australia’s record in T20 is ordinary.
Part of this problem stems from the fact that for years they treated the format as a novelty – players were mic’d up on field, tactics were rubbery and entertainment trumped endeavor.
Along with New Zealand and South Africa, Australia are the only major nations yet to have won the World T20, with the five tournaments having been won by as many different teams.
You get the sense that this now stings the Australians, many of whom like star batsmen Steve Smith and David Warner owe a lot to T20.
Australia long have had the players to be a potent T20 outfit. Their ranks are littered with punishing, innovative and versatile batsmen, swift and skilful pacemen, and agile fieldsman.
The one obvious weakness has been their lack of match-winning spinners. Many of the most effective spinners in T20 cricket have been slow bowlers.
Several have been those types who hide their bowling arm beneath long sleeves while toying with the already generous 15-degrees of flex rule for bowlers.
Australian coaches at all levels tend to favour traditional techniques which may go some way to explaining why so far no such law-bending, game-changing tweaker has emerged.
But Australia would happily settle for a plain old effective slow bowler – one who can at least produce the odd brilliant over.
This is particularly pertinent given the venue for the upcoming World Cup. Left armer Xavier Doherty was never going to be such a player and Australia finally appeared to have moved on from him in all formats.
Selected in the limited overs squad for this Ashes tour, young spinners Cameron Boyce and Ashton Agar appear to be the frontrunners for the World T20.
The selectors seem so determined to keep Nathan Lyon’s focus solely on Test cricket that they are ignoring his considerable skills in the shorter formats.
Regardless, Boyce and Agar are better equipped to shifting the momentum of a T20 International than Doherty.
Agar’s languid batting offers him a hefty advantage over Boyce. It should not, however, distract from his blossoming orthodox bowling.
The 21-year-old imparts robust revolutions on his deliveries, prompting them to loop, drift and turn appreciably. Meanwhile, his 6’3 frame allows him to extract decent bounce from most surfaces.
Boyce may offer less with the bat and in the field, but he is the most attacking spinner in the land.
The 26-year-old Queenslander focuses more on ripping the ball as hard as he can, and less on landing his deliveries on a perfect spot.
He will offer the odd rank delivery which will be dispatched to or over the boundary. In between, though, there will be offerings which fizz through the air, dipping alarmingly on the batsman before exploding from the turf.
With Glenn Maxwell’s off spin proving increasingly effective, there is likely room for only one specialist tweaker in Australia’s T20 line-up, even in the spin-friendly environment of India.
For Australia to lift the T20 World Cup on the subcontinent, it seems certain that this frontline spinner will need to shine.
Don Freo
Guest
Geez Joey...you know how to insult a guy! Zampa like White? Not close. Zampa is way different. No one can bowl leg spin with White's action...not even Kumble. Zampa has the leg spinner's round arm.
Bert
Roar Rookie
Zampa has very good variety- the flipper and wrong un both in his repertoire. And as others have said a very promising batman. I'd prefer him over Boyce definitely in the shorter format.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
At 44 years of age it appears Hoggy's international career finally is over.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Zampa has plenty more years to press his case and if his dynamic batting keeps developing the way it has been that will help him no end with the selectors.
Broken-hearted Toy
Guest
Why don't you write an article? This one is about Agar and Zampa.
Amith
Guest
What about some comments on the England side guys. Is Sam Billings a better batsman than James Vince? If so, he should be at #3. If Vince is better (and he just made an excellent 69 on Finals Day in the Blast yesterday) then he should be at #3. In either case Moeen should be at #7. Moeen hasn't made any case at all for being a top order batsman in T20Is. In 7 previous innings he's averaged 8.14 and made one score over 10.There's this idea out there that because Moeen has made some runs batting down the order in tests and a couple of centuries in ODIs where the opposition was less than top-class (Scotland and a SL side with 2 medium-pacers as a seam attack) he's a top-order international batsman in all formats. He isn't and it's doing neither him nor England any favors to keep trying to make him one. He is no doubt a good player but he is not a top order batsman.
dan ced
Guest
If the selectors (again) had watched domestic T20, they'd realise Zampa was a much better bet than Boyce. They just stick with their incumbents, or mates, and ignore form altogether. It's a damn shame. My T20 XI would be: Warner, Klinger, Smith, Lynn, Maxwell, Faulkner, Ludeman, Coulter-Nile, Zampa, Sandhu, Starc.
matth
Guest
Thanks Joey. So Boyce has the mythical 'x-factor'. Hope he continues to go well. Zampa can bat a bit too (at least I saw a decent score in a recent Australia A game). They may both get chances in years to come, with Agar as well.
Joey Johns
Roar Guru
Zampa bowls a little more like Cameron White - higher arm action, not as much turn (still gets it to rip) Boyce's style is more in the mold of SK Warne
matth
Guest
I haven't seen enough of either Boyce or Zampa, can anyone give us a comparison between the two?
Joey Johns
Roar Guru
Our poor T20 record is all David Warner's fault! Had he not risen to become a Test batsmen within 2 years of his T20 debut, then we wouldn't see be seeing our side become a development and comeback-from-injury team! Regarding our team for T20 WC, I'm not sure that I 100% agree with you that there is only enough room for 1 fast bowler in our final XI. Although when looking at a potential team, it's not a bad idea. The luxury(it's far from a problem!) that Australia has is that, apart from Warner & a lesser extent Smith, our next 4 best batsmen are all-rounders (Watson, Maxwell, Faulkner, Marsh) . Watson has consistently been one of the best T20 bats in the world and should open. Finch hasn't made a run-a-ball score in a year - squad member. Anyway, the only two changes from the team tonight that I'd make for the T20 WC would be Faulkner for Stonis when he becomes available and Agar for Coulter-Nile as he's surplus to requirements in India. So my XI: Warner, Watson, Smith, Maxwell, Marsh, Faulkner, Wade, Agar, Starc, Cummins, Boyce With Finch, Burns, Johnson and Pattinson as the final 4. Actually, you're probably right about 1 pace bowler. Burns for Cummins. Everyone moves down 1 in the order from Watson.
TheCunningLinguistic
Guest
Hoggy!!
Andy
Guest
Both are good bowlers And will do well for us in years to come
QuitWhinging
Guest
Agar's T20 career hasn't been to flash, albeit he's bowling at the WACA which isn't too friendly to finger spin. I'd have Zampa or even Lyon ahead of him
Really
Guest
Great article. I think in t20 ideally you want 6-7 guys who can bowl with 2 or 3 of them being spinners. I suppose there could be room for both if Steve smith doesn't want to bowl