Australia’s disastrous start to the World Cup shouldn’t come as a major surprise when you look at how little time they are devoting to the 50-over format.
The Aussies have looked simultaneously rusty and fatigued in their opening two matches in copping heavy defeats from India and South Africa.
They look tired after a hectic schedule across all three formats over the past 12 months but are also clearly short of a gallop in one-day internationals as they struggle to adjust for the mission to add this trophy to the World Test Championship they collected in June by beating India at The Oval.
Australia’s batters in particular have looked betwixt and between in the 50-over environment.
They appear too nervous to launch a T20 style all-out assault but wary of not being too patient at a tournament where tallies of more than 300 have flown thick and fast.
This has led to several batters getting starts at well under a strike rate of 100 and then getting out, which puts pressure on the next player and so on.
It’s a recipe for disaster which has led to collapses of 8-89 against India and 6-43 in the loss to the Proteas.
Most of the 15-man squad rarely play in the domestic 50-over matches so their preparation for this World Cup has been limited to ODIs and key players like Pat Cummins (19 matches), Glenn Maxwell (20), Cameron Green (20) and Travis Head (16) have only played a handful of games each year since Australia’s 2019 semi-final exit.
The player who has lined up the most for Australia in the four-year gap between the 2019 tournament won by host nation England to this month’s event in India, was the scapegoat who was dumped after they lost last week, wicketkeeper Alex Carey, who appeared in 42 of the 44 team’s 44 ODIs.
| Team | ODIs since 2019 World Cup |
Win-loss record | ODIs in 2023-27 FTP |
| Afghanistan | 29 | 14-14-1 | 45 |
| Australia | 44 | 24-20 | 43 |
| Bangladesh | 51 | 29-19-3 | 59 |
| England | 43 | 22-17-4 | 48 |
| India | 66 | 40-22-4 | 42 |
| Netherlands | 34 | 8-24-1-1 | N/A |
| New Zealand | 43 | 24-16-3 | 46 |
| Pakistan | 36 | 24-10-1-1 | 47 |
| South Africa | 41 | 22-15-4 | 39 |
| Sri Lanka | 56 | 30-24-2 | 52 |
While it was by no means the lowest tally among the nine full ICC member nations who qualified for the 2023 World Cup, it was 22 less than India and well behind Sri Lanka (56) and Bangladesh (51).
In the current Future Tours Programme which started this year and runs until 2027, the Aussies will play just 43 ODIs, which will be one of the lowest amounts among the main nations.
Due to their bias towards Test cricket and the growth of the T20 format, Australia tend to rest their big guns in ODIs with only Carey, Marnus Labuschagne (38), Adam Zampa (37) and David Warner (34) playing more than 70% of scheduled matches in the past four years.
| Player | ODIs from 2019-23 World Cup |
Win-loss record |
Batting average |
Bowling average |
| David Warner | 34 | 19-15 | 42.63 | |
| Travis Head | 16 | 8-8 | 60.84 | |
| Mitchell Marsh | 26 | 14-12 | 32.12 | 34.9 |
| Steve Smith | 27 | 16-11 | 56.54 | |
| Marnus Labuschagne | 38 | 20-18 | 37.29 | 115 |
| Glenn Maxwell | 19 | 12-7 | 41.2 | 37.78 |
| Alex Carey | 42 | 24-18 | 29.7 | |
| Josh Inglis | 8 | 4-4 | 17.87 | |
| Cameron Green | 20 | 10-10 | 37.9 | 40.31 |
| Marcus Stoinis | 23 | 15-8 | 17.5 | 42.72 |
| Pat Cummins | 19 | 11-8 | 14.44 | 30.8 |
| Mitchell Starc | 26 | 18-8 | 12.36 | 26.68 |
| Josh Hazlewood | 30 | 18-12 | 26.66 | 28.47 |
| Sean Abbott | 16 | 8-8 | 18.75 | 37.47 |
| Adam Zampa | 37 | 21-16 | 11.41 | 22.89 |
These numbers highlight the importance of Mitchell Starc to Australia’s success – their win rate skyrockets when he’s in the side.
They also raise serious doubts about why the selectors have persisted with Marcus Stoinis for so long. He’s 34 now and has failed to produce the goods on a consistent basis with bat and ball while being in and out of the team with a range of injuries.
A combination of just 355 runs at 17.5 and 11 wickets at 42.72 in 24 since the previous World Cup adds up to a player who should have been replaced with a younger option.
Cummins was putting on a brave face when he fronted the media in Lucknow on Sunday in the lead-up to their crucial showdown with Sri Lanka at the same venue where the Australians were outplayed in all three facets of the game by South Africa.
Pat Cummins leads the Australian side off. (Photo by Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)
“Not ideal at all. I think everyone after the last game was a little bit flat,” Cummins conceded.
“After the last game, everyone was a little bit flat. But the last couple of days have been really good. Everyone has rolled up their sleeves and want to get to work and make amends.
“No doubt we haven’t been up to the standard that we’d like to hold. We’ve been outplayed both games.
“When we’re at our best, we’re putting big runs on the board, we’re putting the pressure back on the opposition, us bowlers are taking wickets through the middle.
“We haven’t been able to pull any of that together so far.
“We know what makes us a really good team. It wasn’t that long ago we were No.1 in the world.”
“We’ve got to start winning and start winning quick. Every game now is almost like a final you’ve got to win just about all of them.”
Their hopes of a late surge to make the semis have been given a boost with Head flying to India to join the squad this week after the left-handed opener had the protective splint removed from his broken hand ahead of schedule.
Marsh has failed twice as a makeshift opener and although he’d done well in limited opportunities in the past 12 months at the top of the order, he had only filled the role six times in his career heading into a World Cup.
(Photo by Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
Australia’s selectors had the chance last year to give Marsh or another opening option a try when Aaron Finch was clearly past his use-by date but they persisted with him and he produced just 174 runs in his final 14 knocks at 12.42.
Head is targeting next Tuesday’s clash with the Netherlands in Delhi, the fifth of Australia’s nine pool games, as his comeback match.
“It’s coming along well, and probably better than we hoped,” Head told cricket.com.au on Sunday.
“When we decided not to go with surgery, which would have meant a 10-week recovery, we were told it would be minimum six weeks with the splint before we could look at playing again.
“Going by that plan, the Netherlands game will be just under six weeks from impact which is a pretty aggressive date so everything would have to go perfectly from here to make that deadline.
“But we’ll just see how it progresses over the next few days and I’m excited by the prospect of joining the boys over there later in the week.
“I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to bat when the splint came off but, apart from a fair bit of stiffness given I hadn’t been able to use it for the past four weeks, I was able to hit balls and play a fair range of shots.”
13th Man
Roar Rookie
Maxi may have the odd good game from here but he’s past his best as well. Think he’s another one worth moving past beyond this World Cup.
13th Man
Roar Rookie
Well, pure and simple, the BBL doesn’t pay players enough compared to other tournaments.
13th Man
Roar Rookie
I don’t like this tiredness excuse. All these players have chosen to remain 3 format players plus on top of this have chose to play IPL. That is their choice - they know what the schedule looks like a year out or more. You can’t get to a World Cup and claim you are tired - when you’ve chosen to play every format plus chase dollars in the IPL. If you want to do it all being on the road a lot and away from home is part of the caper. If they can’t handle that, drop a format or give the IPL a miss, like some of the English blokes have done.
Wikipetia
Roar Rookie
yes agree. the WBBL is the best of the best. the BBL never has been.
Wikipetia
Roar Rookie
i dunno been a big 12 months, from an intensity point of view. a year ago today the T20 world cup kicked off. then the home test summer, yes a bit of a stroll but not really for the skipper then an away India tour then the WCC final then a jampacked contested Ashes and now a 50 over WC plus IPL for those so inclined. T20 series and ODI series. some UK franchise stuff for some. even focussing on just the key internationals, can you point to me where we played a home summer, India away, away Ashes and two world cups in the same 12 month period?
Dodgy brothers
Roar Rookie
My 2c is that our white ball teams aren't developing because the standard of the BBL is too low. Our best players don't play the tournament and we can't recruit the best players from other nations. Young players therefore don't get exposed to the level required to perform internationally.
Gilberto
Roar Rookie
tiredness is a lazy excuse, if they hadn't played the Ashes they would say they are rusty
Wikipetia
Roar Rookie
in the 2015 WC he smashed 102 off 53 in 2019 WC he hammered 46* off 25
Wikipetia
Roar Rookie
it's Maxi time. He averages 40 against them in ODI at 147 he averages 48 against them in T20. at 175!@!!! they also have never dismissed him in tests
Wikipetia
Roar Rookie
they were OK in 2019, but that was test guys batting slow. Finch in the runs. much easier decks than here. and a tough start here. two poor games but too early to make a meaningful series vs series comparison. we got found out late in 2019. off the pace considerably. we may improve here. see how they go tonight.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
I'm clearly the odd one out because I can't see any correlation between the number of 50 over games these guys have played over the past 4 years and their current predicament. Look at how few ODI games the 2019 Aussies had before that World Cup and throw in all the furore around Warner & Smith's return, yet that team played 100% better than this group. As for tiredness, why is this being raised again, when only a handful of guys, 4 or 5 at most, have had a full year of cricket? The Aussies have had plenty of leadup matches to knock the rust off, work on tactics and get their combinations right, but they've simply underperformed. They've gone with guys who are either passed it or not in good nick. If they make it to the semis the way they're going, it truly will be a modern cricket miracle.
Grem
Roar Rookie
I keep harping on about it, and with the amount of cricket being played it’s virtually impossible, but… The Sheffield Shield is the place where our great cricketers are made. It needs a lot of help to bring it up to where it was and should be. If it keeps withering then so will our production line.
Ouch
Roar Rookie
it will be no surprise if we are 0-3 after tonight's game.
Wikipetia
Roar Rookie
Right now I feel like the ankle is affecting the power stance which is affecting the hands. Especially after 20 overs and 50 overs in the foiled. Mind you he came in to a rampant Jadeja and a rampant Rabada. Played circumspect. Maybe he shouldn’t.
matth
Roar Guru
The only reason to move Maxwell on after this is that he’s 35. He will become more injury prone and more inconsistent as his ‘eye’ goes
Wikipetia
Roar Rookie
Maxwell's the interesting one, the emblematic one. he missed many of the ODIs here due to his mental health break or his ankle break. does that make him older than he appears, or younger, as he has missed so much cricket. eg he didn't play a ODI for 18 months either way he bats here like a batter with too much to lose, unlike his hot streak of form in 2020. and when he came back in mid 22, he was POTM in SL - but it's been scratchy since. he was singularly targeted (with Stoinis) by Langer after the 2019 series, where yes he averaged 22 but he went at 150, as he often came in after the test top order and Finch had chewed up much of the innings. Langer seemed to want him to average 40 and still go at well over 130. or something. I feel like the criticism he will get here will be similar - face balls and get out, you fail (despite everyone above you doing same); go hard early and get out - you clown; go hard early and pull fire from the orifice - oh, that's what you're paid to do. he had a fantastic IPL. he bowled the house down the other night. he just needs support and context. but is he part of the set up going forward? do we want to keep toploading the order and then expect a Maxwell, Stoinis or even a Turner, to do the miracles, and trash them when they can't? structurally, I don't think any other team sets up like we do. so that's where to start, most of the test guys out. and i think we said that after 2019 and here we are...
matth
Roar Guru
This is all undeniably true and reminds me of how we didn’t take T20 seriously for a long time and so fell behind other teams, the answer is to look to specialists for white ball cricket even if it means some of our test stars sit out. Having said that England just got smacked by Afghanistan to also notch a second loss so we aren’t alone. A lot of comments dismissed our fatigue due to a grueling away from home schedule by comparing us to England. No doubt after this tournament we need to refresh the squad to prepare for the next four year cycle. We only have 43 games! Good players who are near the end need to move on even if they are still arguably in our best squad. Eg Stoinis (who is not in our best squad), Warner, Maxwell, Hazlewood, etc. Even Smith maybe. But I’m hopeful of a better showing against Sri Lanka. The world of social media and the daily cycle means we are rarely as bad as being made out (or as good when we win)
La grandeur d'Athéna
Roar Rookie
Australia's team selection and tactics is odd for sure. They keep playing almost same 11 across all format for almost half a decade now.They choose a team completely disregarding the conditions. And I do not think I have seen an Australian coach as clueless as the current one. And that is extending to players. Completely clueless,looks like 11 random blokes have been set loose on the ground. This does not go with the typical Australian way we have seen. It makes me wonder if Australia went overdrive with the entire culture fixing thing. George Bailey is a respected person. But I believe he is needed to be asked some hard questions. You do not select world cup squad based on "We thought it might...".