World Cup 2019: 3 reasons why Australia can win the tournament
Australia are one of the favourites at the World Cup 2019. They will be confident of lifting the trophy for a record-extending sixth time.
But their World Cup chances did not look promising at all a year ago.
2018 was a disaster for the Aussies to say the least. Steve Smith and David Warner, their best batsmen, were given year-long bans in March of that year for their involvement in a ball-tampering scandal. The incident led to an unprecedented backlash in Australia.
Australia lost 11 of their 13 ODI matches in 2018, most of them in the pair’s absence.
But 2019 saw a complete revival of the team’s fortunes. Australia defeated India and Pakistan in ODI series during March. They have now won four of their first five World Cup matches. Smith and Warner are back in the team and look more determined than ever.
There are several reasons why Australia can win the World Cup 2019. Let us look at three of those:
#3 Amazing tournament history and big match temperament
Australia have quite an illustrious World Cup history.
They have won the tournament a record five times: in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015. They dominated ODI cricket between the years 1999 and 2007. The team included big names such as Matthew Hayden, Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Michael Bevan, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne.
One attribute that Australia has in spades is big match temperament. They act differently from other teams during big matches. A lot of teams freeze under pressure and make awkward mistakes. But Australia thrive under pressure. In fact, pressure brings out the best in them; they are entertainers on the big stage.
They have won five of the seven World Cup finals they have played. Australia will be expected to win another final in 2019, if they reach that stage.
Also read – World cup most wickets