This week Cricket Australia has released their squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
The Australian T20 side has had a torrid time of it recently with a disastrous winter tour to the West Indies and Bangladesh but the announcement of this squad will fill the team with optimism as some much needed reinforcements are returning to action.
The selected squad contains:
Aaron Finch (captain)
Ashton Agar
Pat Cummins (vice-captain)
Josh Hazlewood
Josh Inglis
Mitchell Marsh
Glenn Maxwell
Kane Richardson
Steve Smith
Mitchell Starc
Marcus Stoinis
Mitchell Swepson
Matthew Wade
David Warner
Adam Zampa
Travelling reserves: Dan Christan, Nathan Ellis, Daniel Sams.
(Patrick Hamilton/AFP /AFP via Getty Images)
Overall the squad appears more balanced, obviously more experience and has a lot more weapons in its arsenal than the winter tours.
New chief of selectors George Bailey has already shown to be valuable addition to the panel. Obviously, it is a lot easier to pick a side when everyone is available but this side makes so much more sense.
The winter tour squad was laden with multiple wicketkeepers, all-rounders and not enough specialist batsmen. This squad seems to have taken roles in the side in account whereas the winter tours seemed resigned to picking the favourites of what was left over regardless of how they meshed as a unit.
The sight of watching Moises Henriques stride out to open the batting considering the glut of openers at Australia’s disposal was not a happy one.
This side appears to tick all the right boxes. There are three spin options before we look at part timers. There are four quicks before getting to any off the all-rounders.
Our likely top three are all specialist batsmen and players like Marsh, Hazlewood, Swepson and Ellis have been rewarded for strong winter tours.
The most notable inclusion to the squad would be the uncapped Josh Inglis. The 26-year-old wicketkeeper has leapt the cue ahead of Alex Carey, Josh Philippe and Ben McDermott.
(Paul Kane/Getty Images)
Given Carey’s previous leadership positions in the side his omission was considerably surprising but it appears the three of them have paid for really poor tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh.
George Bailey said that Inglis had been a player of interest for quite some time. They were particularly impressed with his stint in the T20 Blast and the Hundred.
They were also very impressed with how seamlessly he slotted into the middle order for the Scorchers in the most recent BBL, which indicates what sort of role they have envisioned for him in the upcoming World Cup.
This ability to perform in the middle order is likely what swayed things in his favour. The other wicketkeeper-batsmen that have been used in the T20 set-up – Philippe, McDermott, Carey and Wade – have all done what’s been asked of them to get selected.
They have been consistent contributors at the domestic level during the BBL, however they all did so batting at the top of the order. With those positions likely to be filled by Finch, Warner, Smith and the resurgent Mitchell Marsh, they aren’t in the element that has allowed them to succeed.
Inglis, however, has runs under his belt in the middle order, which hopefully will lead to an easier transition to the international game.
While it unusual for a player to make an international debut during a World Cup, hopefully he will channel players like Andy Flower, who scored a 100 during his debut during an ODI World Cup.
The next big inclusion would be that of Steve Smith. By far Australia’s best batsman, earlier it appeared his World Cup aspirations would be dashed by an elbow injury.
However he has recovered in time for a stint in the second leg of the IPL and it should give Smith plenty of opportunity to get his feet underneath him heading into the World Cup.
(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Smith has come under scrutiny for not having a game that suits the T20 format but his average of 39.54 at number three in international T20 cricket is bested only by Virat Kohli, Babar Azam and Dawid Malan through a minimum of 15 innings.
His strike rate at three is near enough to 140 and his proficiency against spin bowling will be invaluable after seeing Australia’s struggles during the winter. His success at the World Cup is crucial for Australia to have any chance at hoisting the trophy.
The only real question mark is around Aaron Finch, not only with his form but also his injury. Finch has had a torrid time in the short form over the last 18 months. He has been dropped from the IPL, had several ordinary BBL campaigns and has struggled for consistency at the international level.
The captaincy likely is sparing him the axe. The likelihood of an Australian captain being dropped this close to a major tournament is astronomically unlikely but serious questions will have to be asked if Finch doesn’t fire during the tournament.
That is, of course, if he can recover in time from his knee surgery. The timeline is already tight and any complications in his recovery would be problematic for the Aussie skipper.
Should the worst happen and Finch not be fit for the World Cup, hopefully Bailey and the rest of the brains trust use the same thinking that brought Inglis into the side and look to the UK.
Since becoming the first concussion substitute in a Test match during the 2019 Ashes series, Marnus Labuschagne has taken cricket by storm with his appetite for runs no matter the format.
His form in long-form cricket speaks for itself but his short-form cricket has been impressive as well, recently getting starts in the Australian ODI sides and having a successful stint for the Brisbane Heat in the BBL.
Post the BBL, Labuschagne was left out of the winter tours and selectors indicated a stint with Glamorgan in England’s T20 Blast would be good for his development.
(Photo by Lee Warren/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
True to form, Labuschagne came away from the T20 Blast with 390 runs at an average of 55.71 and a strike rate of 140, coupled with this his leg breaks, which netted him nine wickets. As we have seen, spin-bowling options are going to be valuable in the UAE.
He has batted primarily at three during his T20 games, however he could provide the perfect foil for Warner at the top of the order. That continues the left/right-handed partnership. He is fantastic at rotating the strike and has developed his hitting to allow him to access all sections of the ground.
Given the fallout from the tours to Bangladesh and West Indies, the selectors have done well to put forward a squad that has the potential like this one to make some noise in the World Cup. I’m sure for people like Justin Langer, it must have seemed like the world was falling down around them in the immediate aftermath of those tours.
Most of these players will get a tune-up at the IPL, which is also being held in the UAE. The frustrating part of all that is that most of these players were available during the winter tours and chose to sit out only for those tours not to clash with the IPL.
Obviously bubble fatigue and burning players out is a serious consideration. It’s just a shame that Langer couldn’t work out any kinks in the squad ahead of time and the first we’ll be seeing this team in action will be the World Cup.
Out of this squad my predicted starting XI is:
Aaaron Finch (captain)
David Warner
Steve Smith
Mitch Marsh
Glenn Maxwell
Josh Inglis
Ashton Agar
Pat Cummins
Mitch Starc
Adam Zampa
Josh Hazlewood
Republican
Guest
Australian Cricket is going the way of Australian Rugby Union in respect of pedigree. Im not sure what GR participation is like in the game (so we probably can't use that old Union chestnut as an excuse) but the standard continues to free fall across all versions of the Aussie game. I reckon we are close to joining the second tier nations internationally akin to our Wallabies.
Clear as mud
Guest
(well, you have posted your stats about 10 times recently. facetiously, 15 runs at 180 would be 8 balls used up. if all 11 batters did the same we would make around 170. minimum. fun to watch.) being on the run rate and then getting out when sent, that's when teams fall behind the run rate very, very quickly. Maxwell obviously tries to get us back above the run rate so it's easier for the guys below. does it always come off - of course not. if he's batting at 4 and gets out, we still have the 5, 6, 7 and 8 to come. he never chews up balls, he puts the team first. three tons in T20s. only one opening. that is the stuff of miracles - the other two being at, you guessed it, #4. he was in sublime touch against India in both formats. ignore the NZ series, it was an experiment. in a team with grinders like Finch (now) and Smith, you need explosive players. Mitch Marsh also a solid grinder. Maxwell - goes at 34 and 159 batting at 4. people on here quoting Smith's stats at 3 as some sort of justification - well, good for the goose etc so, let's presume he just had a small downtick in form, as players do. if he gets back into form in the IPL again, he can bat wherever he likes as far as I am concerned. and open the bowling
Jeff
Roar Rookie
I think Smith’s biggest value add right now is his big game / big tournament experience. That stuff can be invaluable at crunch times in things like WCs.
Two Slips and a Gully
Roar Rookie
I can understand the concerns around Smith but as I stated in the article only Kohli, Azam and Malan have higher averages than Smith batting at three when playing more than 15 innings. Smith has a pretty decent body of work behind him. Hopefully he gets his eye in during the 2nd Leg of the IPL. I really think Smith could be one of the key contributors to any success we may have during the WC
Jeff
Roar Rookie
And build around Smith/Marsh. I’m not sure what Smith will produce as his involvement in T20 has been off and on recently. But I reckon that in the form Marsh is, there’s a real chance of playing a tournament with a consistently producing and reliable anchor there.
matth
Roar Guru
And for me they are the two. If we get a solid opening partnership, Finch can almost bat through, at speed. If Maxwell can capitalise on the solid base and play Maxwell-ball successfully, we will produce some big totals.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
I agree with that. Or put another way, we need at least two of any batsmen to have historically good series. I don’t see anyone in our batting line up who has ever been an out and out champion T20 player that delivers in a big way, match in, match out. We’ve often had sides with players capable of stunning cameos, but not regularly.
matth
Roar Guru
I don't disagree with 'fairly solid'. But I think with our batting line up, Finch and Maxwell are both going to need to have historically great series for us to win.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Other than being a backhander reply, not sure what that response means.
Clear as mud
Guest
Don’t worry you have made your point ad nauseum. Suffice it to say we have 11 batters, 10 wickets, 20 overs and the team with the highest score wins
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Going fast isn't relevant though, if you don't make runs. 15 runs @ 180 is pretty useless. Unless you come in, in the last 2 overs perhaps. I don't have the time to go into it here, but with those matches I highlighted above, Finch and #2 and #3 would set a platform by 10 overs for Australia to chase down a target comfortably, yet we see collapses ad nauseum and we lose. And far far more often than not, Maxwell has been a part of that over the last 18 months. When Finch has been dismissed, 5 times out of 8 chases, Australia has been bang on the RRR. YET, Aus has lost 7 of those 8 run chases. And mostly they have been chases around 140 (couple of exceptions). Why then does Maxwell feel he has to go at 170, when 130 will get the job done and get dismissed time and again for low scores, to he point he only averages 13.5 balls per innings - at #4? And passing, I think, 25 twice in 11 innings in the last 18 months, with six single digit scores. It's #8 stuff, at best. Again, others can go back and look at the match highlights and results of these games, but so often Maxwell lost his wicket for no real reason (i.e. bang it hard square and get caught, step away and give a nick) when the match situation didn't warrant it. It's why, after all these years, I would not have Maxwell anywhere near #4 for Australia.
Clear as mud
Guest
You can get consistency with Maxwell. He will consistently try and score at a rate to compensate for the guys in the team who can’t or won’t go as fast as him.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
I was only considering how he has performed for Australia. Disagree re his place in the side. He's made it to 30 eleven of his 15 innings in the last 18 months and striking at 130-150 once he is underway. For mine, that's a solid contribution and its consistency we need from all the batsmen (looking at you Maxwell). I agree that his SR is down from 155 to 130 in the last 18 months, but it's also relevant to look at the match situation/wickets lost position he has found himself which requires him to temper his rate - see below. He hasn't lost the ability to go big quick - 69 (44) @ 156, 79* (55) @ 143, 53 (37) @ 143, 46(32) @ 143, 39 (26) @ 150, it just hasn't always been as opportune to do so. Also worth noting he has only passed 70 on 6 other occasions in his career, so it's not like he has always been the ton-up kind of opener. Here's a look at the AUS score when Finch was dismissed and the result: ENG 1-98 (11 overs) - LOST chasing 163 [2nd top scorer with 46) 4-79 (12) - LOST batting first [top with 40] 4-87 (10.4) - WON chasing 146 [top with 39] IND 1-56 (7.4) - LOST chasing 162 [top with 35] 1-14 (1.4) - WON batting first** NZ 1-3 (0.5) - LOST chasing** 2-70 (8) - LOST chasing 219 3-153 (15.5) - WON batting first [2nd top with 69] 6-156 (20) - WON batting first [top with 79*] 2-74 (10) - LOST chasing 143 WIN 1-8 (1.1) - LOST chasing 146** 2-19 - (3.1) - LOST chasing 197** 4-80 (12) - LOST batting first [2nd top with 30] 2-126 (11.3) - WON batting first [2nd top with 53] 3-95 (9.2) - LOST chasing 200 [top with 34] ** are the games where I think Finch didn't contribute at least on par or better For mine: 1) At time of his dismissal, Finch has had AUS right on target to win in 5 of their 8 chases, only for the side to fail to capitalise on his platform given AUS lost 7 of their 8 chases. 2) He's been in the top two scorers for the side in 9 of his 15 innings which is at least on par where he should be as an opener. 3) There's been a number of innings where he has lost his#2, #3 and #4 at the other end inside 10 overs, so when he has been batting on, his SR freedom is somewhat curtailed. I don't think his position in the side is questionable at all, not when it comes down to when he plays for Australia.
Two Slips and a Gully
Roar Rookie
Not really, his form in the BBL was awful and he was just keeping his head above water at an international level. Certainly not showing form that makes him an automatic selection outside of him having the captaincy. For mine Finch may need to embrace being an anchor style batsman. His ability to be explosive from ball one isn’t what it was.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Finch has been fairly solid the last 18 months.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Yeah I saw that a while ago, but haven't found anything to support it. The IPL starts in 3 weeks and finishes 1 week before the Super 12 stage, so seems unlikely. Unless those games are the ones that could be held in that week before the WC, but again there is nothing I can find that mentions them being scheduled.
Clear as mud
Guest
I wouldn't be too worried about Maxwell. His last 18 months in ODI were sublime - average 70, SR 140, a ton and 3 50s from 6 knocks His BBL was good enough His IPL was going very well His average was down in the T20Is but he was still getting 50s and in the 150s. People just can't expect him to average 40 and strike at 150, if we are going to get off to slow or wicketty starts. He will have to take risks - that's how you strike at 156. Be good if some of the other players shared the risks occasionally?
Paul
Roar Guru
I agree Matt, but this is our best squad, so if we crash & burn, it has to be down to the players especially the batsmen.
Paul
Roar Guru
there was talk of games against the Windies and Bangladesh prior to the WC?
matth
Roar Guru
I’m not confident. It seems to me to go far in this tournament we are hoping that players such as Finch and Maxwell suddenly play better than they have in the past 18 months, plus for Inglis to hit the ground running.