3 major weaknesses in Australia's 2023 World Cup squad
Australia are the most successful side in the history of the ICC ODI Men’s World Cup. They have won five of the 12 editions held so far. The Aussies lifted their first title in 1987 under the inspirational captaincy of Allan Border. They then won three World Cups in a row from 1999 to 2007 before losing the 2011 quarterfinal against India.
Australia were back to their winning ways when they lifted the World Cup at home in 2015, defeating New Zealand in a disappointingly one-sided final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). They couldn’t defend their title in 2019, going down to hosts and eventual winners England in the second semi-final in Birmingham by eight wickets.
The Aussies have some concerns heading into the 2023 World Cup as they lost back-to-back ODI series’ to South Africa and India.
Ahead of the tournament, we analyze three major weaknesses in Australia's 2023 World Cup squad.
#1 Only one frontline spinner in Australia's squad
The first and foremost weakness in Australia's squad for the 2023 World Cup is the fact that they have picked only one frontline spinner in their squad - leg-spinner Adam Zampa. Left-arm spinner Ashton Agar was part of the initially announced 15-man squad, but he was replaced by batter Marnus Labuschagne after failing to recover from a calf injury.
Glenn Maxwell can bowl more that decent off-spin. In fact, he was Player of the Match for claiming 4/40 in the third ODI against India in Rajkot. Maxwell got the big wickets of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer apart from Washington Sundar.
While Maxwell was impressive against India in Rajkot, he cannot be considered a frontline spinner. In 129 ODIs, Maxwell has claimed 64 scalps at an average of 47.72 and an economy rate of 5.54.
Australian chief selector, George Bailey, however, has a different take on Maxwell. He said at a press conference some days back:
"Think it's unfair on Maxi to say he's not a specialist spinner. Think his white-ball spinning record is pretty handy and you could very much consider him a frontline option. We certainly consider that we have two frontline spinners within our first-choice XI.”
While Bailey’s comments are debatable, it remains to be seen whether Maxwell can live up to the faith entrusted in him as a bowler.
#2 Question marks over back-up pacers
Australia have a good pace attack with the likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and skipper Pat Cummins. However, while Starc and Hazlewood have had their issues with fitness recently, Cummins himself has made a comeback from an injury he picked up during the Ashes.
It is quite possible that Starc and Hazlewood might not play all the matches in the 2023 ODI World Cup as Australia might look to handle them with care. And while they have a number of backup pace bowling options, their potency, especially on batter-friendly Indian conditions, remains a question mark.
Cameron Green was pommelled by India’s batters during the recently concluded ODI series. Sean Abbott was also expensive. The experienced Marcus Stoinis can roll his arm over but is unlikely to have much of a say in Indian conditions. Mitchell Marsh is another option, but he did not bowl at all in the series against India.
#3 Uncertainty over the wicketkeeper-batter’s slot
Australia have two keeper-batter options in Alex Carey and Josh Inglis. While both are talented in their own right, there seems to be some uncertainty in the camp over who should be the first-choice wicketkeeper.
Carey has the experience of 71 ODI matches in which he has scored 1814 runs at a middling average of 33.59. He did score 99 off 77 balls in the Centurion ODI against the Proteas last month but hasn’t done a lot with the bat otherwise. Carey scored 14 and 11 in the two games he played against India.
Inglis, 28, has only played eight ODIs so far, scoring 143 runs at an average of 17.87. He hit a half-century against the Proteas in Bloemfontein and 45 versus India in Mohali. But there have been a few low scores as well.
It will be interesting to see which of the two gets a longer run in the Australian playing XI during the World Cup.