ICC Champions Trophy 2013: How good is Australia?

Australia, a small island nation with a name that sparked terror in hearts of cricketing nations. Lethal pace, killer instinct and devastating batting is what defined them. However, that was then and this, is what is now. Mickey Arthur coached Australia had a very poor and demoralizing start to the tournament in the face of 243 run defeat at the hands of India. However, they look great on paper. Here are five points of how prepared Australia is on the stage of the ICC Champions Trophy to defend their title.

Elementary my friend, Its Watson!

All of the Australian team revolves around one man, the herculean Shane Watson. No wonder when he gets going, he alone is an army. He alone is devastating with the ball and bat, and no doubt is Australia’s MVP. But when you have a team centered around a single soul’s ability, you make yourself vulnerable. This is because all the opposition has to do is to get him out first and they have their plans ready. India got him out for just 4 runs last outing to turn the match in their favour.

Xavier Doherty the only spinner in the squad

If Australia have taken it on their ego to hit dry pitches of England and Wales sans spinners, then it is a mistake. Navjot Singh Sidhu said this afternoon at Birmingham that he did not consider Doherty a spinner and that there were 10 spinners like him in Delhi’s local league. This is a wrong move, as no matter how devastating pace is, spin has always bothered a batsman when a pitch wears down and to drop Lyon, Hogg from the squad is a wrong choice.

James Faulkner: A revelation

This IPL he stamped his impression as a useful all-rounder. He can put together good skills with the bat, while making life difficult for batsmen during slog overs. He is a very good option to have in the team to pull out of trouble during a sticky situation. Only thing left to be seen is how effectively or poorly Australia uses him when he is in his red-hot form.

Devastating Pacer on playing XI

May appear contradictory to my previously stated point. But we cannot deny the dent that pacers can create when they weave their magic. Johnson, McKay, Starc have been really fast and perfect in their line and length. If they are used in an intelligent manner from the very beginning, they can pile pressure on the opposition and can restrict sides to decent totals which can be easy to defend .

Last BUT not the least: You can never write them off

It is a fact with this team. There might not be a lot of big names on the roster, they might also have relatively inexperienced players and management issues but they can still bring life to any run chase and can deliver at their best and drag the team out of really unfortunate situations. The quality is there, all they have to do is believe in themselves and execute their plans well. If Australia hit the opposition with all they have, it will be really difficult for the opposition to sniff a victory.