Opinion
Australia’s journey to next year’s T20 World Cup begins on Sunday when they face Sri Lanka in Adelaide in the first fixture of a three-match series.
Australia will be fielding a new-look team with a lot of old faces, as odd as that sounds. Gone are Marcus Stoinis, D’Arcy Short and Chris Lynn, who have been regulars in the T20 team over the past two years.
In come Test and ODI stars Steve Smith, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. Smith and Cummins did not play a single international T20 over the past two years, while Starc featured in only one of Australia’s 21 matches in that period.
Australia now have 12 months to fine-tune for a tilt at winning their first-ever T20 World Cup, which will begin Down Under on 18 October next year.
The Aussies have consistently underperformed at the T20 World Cup. In six editions of the tournament, which started in 2007, Australia have only once made the final, back in 2010 when they lost to England.
Over the next week they face Sri Lanka, the world’s seventh-ranked T20 side. The grouping near the top of the table is very tight, with Australia fifth (261 points) behind India (261), South Africa (262), England (266) and Pakistan (274).
(AAP Image/Paul Miller)
Next month Australia have a three-match T20 series against Pakistan, but first they’ll tackle an unpredictable Sri Lankan side.
Over the past two years the Sri Lankans have a very poor 8-15 win-loss record in the shortest format, yet they enter this series on a four-match winning streak, including a shock 3-0 clean sweep of world No. 1 team Pakistan in Lahore earlier this month.
What made that series victory all the more remarkable was that ten Sri Lankan players pulled out of that tour of Pakistan due to security concerns. That visit came a decade after the Sri Lanka team bus was fired upon by gunmen in Lahore, a horrifying incident that prompted the long drought of international cricket in Pakistan.
In the absence of a ton of experienced players, several lesser lights stepped up to help Sri Lanka triumph. Playing his debut international series, left-handed batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa cracked a matchwinning 77 from 48 balls in the second T20I.
In that same match rookie leg spinner Wanindu Hasaranga took 3-38 and finished with a sensational haul of eight wickets at ten for the series. Left-arm quick Isuru Udana grabbed 3-11 in the series opener to help roll Pakistan for 101.
All three of those players are in Sri Lanka’s squad to tackle Australia along with some more recognisable faces. The tourists boast veteran quicks Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Pradeep, classy batsmen Kusal Perera and Kusal Mendis and fiery wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella. Sri Lanka are without mystery spinner Akila Dananjaya, who was last month suspended for an illegal bowling action.
The Aussies have the option of fielding a rapid and intimidating pace attack, with Starc, Cummins and beanpole express quick Billy Stanlake in their squad.
Australia have made the unusual choice of not picking a batting all-rounder in their squad. This suggests they are likely to play two spinners at some point, with bowling all-rounder Ashton Agar batting at seven and partnering leg spinner Adam Zampa.
This series will also mark the return to international T20s of superstar Smith. The world’s No. 1 Test batsman has not played an international T20 match for more than three and a half years.
(Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
Australia squad
Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, David Warner, Adam Zampa.
Sri Lanka squad
Lasith Malinga (c), Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka, Avishka Fernando, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Dasun Shanaka, Shehan Jayasuriya, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Oshada Fernando, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lakshan Sandakan, Nuwan Pradeep, Lahiru Kumara, Isuru Udana, Kasun Rajitha.
Australia’s strongest XI
1. Aaron Finch
2. David Warner
3. Steve Smith
4. Glenn Maxwell
5. Ashton Turner
6. Alex Carey (wicketkeeper)
7. Ashton Agar
8. Mitchell Starc
9. Pat Cummins
10. Andrew Tye
11. Adam Zampa
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