T20 World Cup 2021: 3 reasons why Australia can win the tournament
It's not often that Australia come to a World Cup stage as the dark horse. They are generally the favorites or the "team to beat". However, such is the swerve of the T20 format that the world-beaters are still pursuing their maiden title and will surprise many if they are able to achieve the feat in the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE and Oman.
But this doesn't mean they don't have the caliber. Australia have everything at their disposal required to make a winning side - an even-kneeled top order, fiery finishers, pacy pacers and witty spinners. All they need is a taste of a few wins and some confidence, and they'll once again reach the impregnable level which is synonymous with them in other formats of the game.
Below, we discuss three factors that make Australia one of the contenders for the silverware and how they can use these to go all the way in the UAE and Oman.
Likely Playing XI: Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Steve Smith, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
#1 Middle-order heavyweights
๐ฃ In the lead up to the #T20WorldCup, Mitchell Marsh opened up about what Steve Smith's return to the squad means for his No. 3 position, a teammate who helped him become a better player of spin and more!
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One of the most successful T20 teams in the world, IPL's Mumbai Indians (MI), have their engine room in the middle and lower-middle order. Some of the most fearsome hitters in the game, both left-handers and right-handers, most of whom can also bowl is a luxury enough to send shivers down the opponent's spine.
With Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade and Marcus Stoinis, forming the no.4 to no.7 in the batting order, Australia's engine room is just as good. They not only offer 12 overs between them, but also a combined experience of 172 T20Is.
Marsh was a revelation and the only silver lining in Australia's failed T20I series against West Indies. Batting at no.4, he scored 219 runs in five innings at an average of 43.80, time and again rescuing a batting line-up that was hollow on either side of him. With eight wickets, he was also the top wicket-taker for Australia.
Maxwell is coming off arguably his best season in the IPL - 513 runs at an average of 42.75 and a strike rate of 144.10, plus three wickets. The first-hand experience of the UAE's stopping pitches will do a world of good for him and his team.
Wade is currently Australia's best wicketkeeper-batsman in white-ball cricket. He hasn't been able to convert his spectacular returns in the Big Bash League at international level, but playing in the middle order with the license to go all-in might just bring the best out of the dynamic southpaw in the UAE.
Stoinis forms the final and is arguably the most important cog in the Australian T20I wheel. He, like Marsh, can play both tempos in the game and is currently among the top-three finishers in the world in terms of strike rate and boundary percentage. He possesses the ability to make or break the tournament for Australia.
#2 The Steve Smith factor
If the T20 World Cup was being held in Australia, England or even India for that matter, Steve Smith might have missed out from his team's first XI. However, on slow, low pitches which ask for attrition in equal measure to flare, the former captain is an unparalleled asset.
Smith will form the bridge between Australia's out-of-form openers and the middle order. He'll be the designated anchor who can keep spinners of all kinds and measures in check, while allowing the big-hitters to tee-off on the other end - similar to a better executed Delhi Capitals versus Kolkata Knight Riders match in Sharjah.
Smith's T20I numbers - 794 runs in 45 matches at a strike rate of 129.53 - might not exude confidence in his power-hitting ability, but on his day, the 32-year-old can manufacture creative ways to push the run rate. Let's also not forget the impact that his leadership and handy leg-spin could have for Australia in the tournament.
#3 Experienced bowling lineup
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In Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, Australia have the most experienced fast-bowling trio in their wings. The three pacers, whenever available, have been hot-properties in the IPL because they have the unique prowess of being incisive at every stage of the game.
Vice-captain Cummins hasn't played much T20 cricket lately, but he'll certainly enjoy the uneven bounce and skid in the UAE. Keeping out his new-ball spells would prove difficult for teams that'll try to preserve their wickets in the powerplay.
Starc looked close to his best in the ODI series against West Indies, where he picked up 11 wickets at a stunning average of 10.64. The Windies struggled to keep out the swing he extracted with the new ball and the jaw-dropping yorkers. He'll be a handful for the best international teams in that form.
For the past few years, Australia has always shown a plapable lack of trust in Hazlewood's white-ball ability. However, the pacer cleared every inch of doubt with his nine wickets in the two rubbers against West Indies. Not only did he look an improved middle-over bowler, but he also displayed a new-found capability in death bowling with a combination of yorkers and accurate slower ones.
This also earned Hazlewood an extended stint at Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2021 where he has so far picked up nine wickets from eight games, an instrumental contribution to the franchise's journey to the final.
The first-choice spinners Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar might not be the best in the world, but the duo will find their skills enhanced manifold in the UAE. They are both economic bowlers and, at the very least, will support their teammates by holding the scoring rate in the middle overs.
Australia are part of Group 1 of the T20 World Cup. Aaron Finch and co. will begin their campaign against South Africa T20 World Cup squad 2021 on October 23 and will also play against England and West Indies, among others, in their bid to reach the the semi-finals.