Australia: From doubtful starters to World Cup favorites
"Time is a great healer, time moves on..." - If this quote suits any team in the cricketing world, it would be none other than the Australian men's ODI team.
The team from Down Under were back to their winning ways during their last series against Pakistan in the UAE. Dominating from the word go, they handed the host team a whitewash; the 5-0 defeat is one of the worst that Pakistan have ever faced in their backyard.
With this, the Aussies extended their match winning streak to eight. A month earlier they came back from 0-2 down to win the next three fixtures against India, making it 3-2 in the five-match series. It was their first series victory in India since 2009.
The Aussies' performance against India not only stunned the cricketing world but it also showed their first sign of revival after the forgetful period of 18 months.
A horrendous 2018
Flashback to March 2018. The ball tampering episode in South Africa had landed a big blow to the sport-loving nation Down Under. They were deprived of the services of their captain Steven Smith and vice-captain David Warner as both of them were handed a year's suspension because of their involvement in that disgraceful act.
The morale of the Kangaroos was at an all-time low. They were not able to show the same fighting spirit which they were known for. In the entire calendar year 2018, they registered just two wins in 13 matches.
They were so down that, after the loss in first of their three-match home series against South Africa in November 2018, the rival pace-man Dale Steyn had to console them by saying they should not feel embarrassed by their batting failure and defeat.
Further, the 1-2 series defeat at home against India in January 2019 didn't help either, as the Australians struggled to find the right combination. Post that series, they were left with only 10 ODIs for redemption before their defense of the coveted World Cup.
Steady redemption
It was in India where they first started getting their combination right. Opener Usman Khawaja and skipper Aaron Finch started giving solid openings. Their partnership for the first wicket crossed the 50-run mark in three instances in India and another four in UAE. They were even successful in converting three of them to the three-figure mark.
Khawaja was finally successful in cementing his place as he came up with consistent performances throughout these two series. In India, he scored two centuries and two fifties accumulating 383 runs in five innings and was adjudged "Player of the Series". He continued his form in UAE as well, where he hit three useful half-centuries including a 111-ball 98 in the final ODI.
Finch was subdued and struggling to find form in the series against India, but was free flowing in UAE against Pakistan. In the first and second ODIs he scored centuries, one of which was a career-best 153*, and he missed another by a whisker in the third fixture. His series total was a staggering 451 runs at an average of 112.75, earning him "Player of the Series" award.
Glenn Maxwell got runs too, and got them at a quick pace. In UAE his strike rate stood close to 140. He was ruthless in punishing the Pakistani bowlers as he scored three whirlwind 50+ scores in the series including an 82-ball 98 in the fourth ODI.
Peter Handscomb was another batsman who impressed in the series against India, scoring a match winning knock of 117 in the fourth ODI at Chandigarh while chasing 358. He followed it up with a composed 52 in the fifth ODI at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi.
Other middle order batsmen Shaun Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner and Alex Carey chipped in with useful performances whenever needed. Overall the batters showed great courage as they proved very effective against both pace and spin in the Asian conditions.
The spin dimension
Unlike their batting unit, the Australian bowling, especially the pace department, was in good form even during their down period. Though Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were out of action in the recent ODI series, newcomers Jhye Richardson, Jason Behrendorff and Nathan Coulter-Nile gave good support to Pat Cummins in troubling the opposition batsmen.
However, one of the keys to the Aussie success in Asia was the performance of their spin department. Since the beginning of this decade, their bowling unit in the shorter versions of the game has been deprived of a quality spinner. They tried multiple options but no one was able to cement his place.
But now they seem to have found a solution in the form of Adam Zampa. The leg-break bowler from New South Wales has provided a much-needed spin dimension to the otherwise pace-dependent bowling attack.
In both the Asian series, Zampa attacked the rival batsmen with his variations and googlies. Though he went for runs, he took 18 wickets in those 10 matches and emerged as the second highest wicket-taker of both the series.
In the spin-friendly Asian conditions, Australian current No. 1 bowler in Tests Nathan Lyon proved effective as well, providing great support to Zampa by bowling tight spells at one end. He took 8 wickets from as many matches but kept the economy under 5.
Return of the stalwarts
The suspensions of Smith and Warner ended last month, and now Australia's batting will definitely get a big boost. Moreover, Warner is in great touch in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), topping the leading run-scorer charts (at the time of this writing). Even Smith is getting back to form playing for the Rajasthan Royals.
Given that their pace bowlers Starc and Hazlewood are also set to return for World Cup 2019, Australia are likely to end up dealing with a case of "problem of plenty". They need to make adjustments now to fit in all these star players into the already settled looking XI.
But for any team this is always a good problem, and the Australians will not find it too difficult to find a solution during the mega event. From doubtful starters a couple of months ago, they are now among the Cup favorites with just six weeks to go for the tournament.
Time seems to have started healing the wounds of Australia already.