Bangladesh vs Australia: 3 reasons why Australia have struggled in T20Is recently
In what has been a tough few weeks for Australia in the shortest format, Bangladesh continued to pile on the misery as they marched to an unassailable 3-0 lead and registered their first-ever series win against Australia in any format.
While the Aussies may have pulled one back on Saturday, the host bowlers have exploited the conditions on offer expertly, even defending 128 in a close finish in the third T20I in Dhaka.
128 is the lowest total that Australia have ever failed to chase in T20Is. Incidentally, the previous lowest target that they failed to chase was 131 from the first T20I of the series.
It has been a miserable few weeks for Australia in T20Is and their preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup could not have gone any further pear-shaped.
Australia did manage to win the final T20I, but this series should be an eye-opener as far as their preparations are concerned for the T20 World Cup.
Here we discuss the three most important factors that have seen Australia slump in T20Is:
#3 Lack of experience
Due to Covid restrictions, Australia have not been able to field their best side for the T20Is and this has exposed their depth. On slow, sluggish tracks, the inexperience was very evident as the Bangladesh bowlers had them trapped in a maze with their plethora of slower deliveries and cutters.
This also came to the fore against their series against West Indies when the batsmen struggled to read spinners and were unable to either rotate the strike or break free with big strokes. They would hope that when experience returns to the fold, things will improve. But both the series have posed several questions to the Australian management.
#2 Inability to play spin
"Obviously we all want to get better at playing at spin and in these conditions there’s no hiding the fact that its tough.
“Ultimately chasing 130 you’re only ever one partnership away and we just couldn’t get that tonight so that’s where the game was lost,” Mitchell Marsh said after their defeat.
Unfortunately for Australia, this has been their Achilles heel for a while now. They need to look at their resources and use them on a horse for course basis if they have to be any good in the World Cup that is to be held on similar surfaces in the UAE.
#1 Warner, Finch & Maxwell have to fire
In David Warner, Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell, Australia have players that can dominate spinners, but they have been missing or have been injured in the two series gone by.
Such has been their dismal performance that they have lost all five T20I series that they've played in the last 12 months. Against England, India, New Zealand, West Indies and now Bangladesh, different issues have kept staring them in the faces.
The side have won only five of the 19 matches they've played in those series.
"To have balls spinning quite a lot, balls going low, some kicking up off the surface, let's be honest it's very foreign for us. Fantastic that we get this preparation as a lead-up to a World Cup so guys can solidify some plans, we've definitely got some work to do," Ashton Agar said ahead of the final T20I.
It is all good that the side is aware of the issues, but the solutions do not seem to be coming up any time soon.