"They can upset a few teams but not win consistently" - Aamir Sohail says Australian team for 2023 World Cup is not worthy of being champions
Former Pakistan Test cricketer Aamir Sohail has opined that Australia's squad is not worthy of winning the 2023 World Cup. He believes that they can 'upset' a few teams but not record wins consistently.
Australia are the most successful team in the ODI World Cup history. The Aussies have won the title five times, while no other nation has won it more than twice. In 2019, Australia qualified for the semifinals, where they lost against England.
The Aussies started their 2023 World Cup campaign with a loss against India last night. Commenting on Australia's performance, Aamir Sohail said on Josh Jaga Dey:
"We have been discussing it over the last 2 days. I don't think this Australian team can become a world champion. They can upset a few teams but not win consistently. Their middle order is weak. Even David Warner has been on and off. They have a lot of issues."
Indian spinners Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin took six wickets between themselves yesterday in Chennai. Sohail said that India's spin attack is among the strongest in the 2023 World Cup.
"If you look closely at all teams, India's spin attack is strong. After that, Afghanistan and Bangladesh have spin attacks. These three teams' spin attacks are solid," he added.
"I was not satisfied with Rohit Sharma's decision to have a left-handed opener" - Aamir Sohail thinks top order is a concern for India in 2023 World Cup
Aamir Sohail further spoke about how India were left reeling at 2-3 after two overs in a run-chase of 200. He said that Rohit Sharma's decision to have Ishan Kishan as his opening partner instead of KL Rahul surprised him a bit.
"The pitches in India are demanding for bowlers. As long as your bowlers are getting you wickets, it's fine. India's top-order is a concern. I was not satisfied with Rohit Sharma's decision to have a left-handed opener (Ishan Kishan) with him instead of using KL Rahul," said Sohail.
Australia dismissed Rohit, Kishan and Shreyas Iyer for a duck, but Virat Kohli and KL Rahul's 165-run stand helped India win. Sohail said that Australia's failure to take wickets in middle overs cost them the game.
"Unfortunately, Australia could not take wickets in the middle overs. If you want to win, you need to take wickets in middle overs. Having said that, credit goes to Virat Kohli and KL Rahul for playing the way they did. It was a treat to watch," he concluded.
India's next match in the 2023 World Cup is against Afghanistan on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Australia will battle South Africa on Thursday.