Australia resurrection
Flickr photo by Nic Redhead shared under a Creative Commons (BY-SA 2.0) license.

CWC 2019: Australia’s resurrection perfectly timed

Mustafa Ismail·
International
·1 Comment·

With the World Cup only weeks away, Australia’s resurrection has significantly boosted their chances of retaining the title…

Since the 2015 World Cup, Australia haven’t lived up to the title of world champions. Ball-tampering allegations added to their woes as two of their leading batsmen, Steve Smith and David Warner, were handed one-year suspensions. However, we’ve seen shades of the old Australia in recent months – with the side emerging victorious against both India and Pakistan on away soil. Australia’s resurrection has proven timely as experts who were touting India and England as favourites are left with much to ponder.

A major turning point has been the form of Aaron Finch, who’s gone from zero to hero in the span of a month. During the home series against India, Australia’s captain struggled to accumulate runs in all formats. Finch seemingly rediscovered his magic touch on the team’s tours to India and the UAE. Against Pakistan, Finch scored a whopping 451 runs across the five-match series, which included two match-winning centuries. His form with the bat had an obvious impact on his captaincy, and the way he marshalled his bowlers on both tours was exceptional.

Australia’s bowling looks sorted going into the World Cup and their bench strength is also likely to cause problems for the opposition. Despite missing Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood as of late, the likes of Pat Cummins, Jason Behrendorff, and Jhye Richardson have stepped up to the plate and bowled with ferocity. Even Adam Zampa has been developing his repertoire, and you can see a drastic improvement in the way he’s been bowling and utilising variations.

The team’s batting line-up has proven problematic over the last year or so, but they’ve finally found their stride. Usman Khawaja, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, and Ashton Turner all played major roles in the triumphs over India and Pakistan. Luckily for Australia, it seems they’ve finally found a winning formula. With Warner and Smith also in contention for a World Cup spot, the selectors are faced with a welcome problem – one that didn’t seem likely a few months ago.

Warner has proven himself in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with consistent performances, but it’ll be interesting to see if he can carry his form over to the international stage. Smith, on the other hand, looks rusty after his injury. Even if he gets selected, the management will want him to get more matches under his belt before he becomes a guaranteed starter.

Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis will provide the X factor in the lower-middle order as they possess the ability to turn a game on its head. The sheer power these two men possess is frightening, illustrated by their performances against India and Pakistan, and no total will be big enough if they get going in England.

It’s still too early to say whether Australia’s resurrection will lead to them successfully defending their title in England, but it’ll undoubtedly boost their confidence. It seems they’ve put the ball-tampering incident behind them by reinvigorated players who’ve won the World Cup and know what it takes to go all the way.