Australia Team analysis for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Hot Favorites

Australia Team analysis for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Hot Favorites: In this series of analyzing Cricket teams for the upcoming World Cup we are in our last lap. Today, we will have a look at the hosts Australia. Australia is the most successful team in the history of World Cup Cricket. They have won the title 4 times and finishing up as runners-up twice. Australia’s last World Cup campaign ended in quarter finals after India defeated them and cruised into the semifinals thereon. Australia lead into the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 with high confidence after winning all the games in Carlton Mid Tri series in which Australia hosted India and England. Let’s have a look at the Australia’s ICC World Cup 2015 squad.

Batting

Lead by Captain Michael Clarke Australia have George Bailey, Aaron Finch, David Warner, Steven Smith, Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh and wicket keeper batsman Brad Haddin. They have a strong opening pair of Warner and Finch with Watson most likely to occupy No. 3 slot. Going by the current form of Steven Smith, he is expected to bat at 4. No. 5 is the slot where Australia captain is going to bat. Australia’s dilemma will be whom to drop in case of Clarke getting fit. While Smith being in form of his life does not seem be getting dropped and Watson does provide the all-round option to the team. So, at the moment it looks like Bailey will have to sit out incase Clarke gets fit. No. 6 slot will be occupied by either of Mitchell Marsh or Glenn Maxwell. I think Marsh shall get the node ahead of Maxwell not on the basis of batting but Marsh is any day a better bowler than Glenn Maxwell. This looks like a solid batting unit with enough match winners. The only problem I see in this line up is if Clarke gets fit and plays at no. 5. With not much of ODI games off late, Clarke might get stuck up in the middle and won’t be able to provide the thrust needed to push the scoring rate. But the same time Bailey has helped Clarke’s case by not scoring many runs in the recently concluded tri series.

Bowling

Lead by fiery Mitchell Johnson Australia has Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, James Faulkner, Josh Hazlewood, spinner Xavier Doherty and all round bowling options of Shane Watson and Mitchell Marsh. Australia will like to have Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc and James Faulkner as their first choice of seamers with Cummins, Hazlewood or Doherty filling the fourth bowler spot. To me this is the best bowling line up amongst all the teams in World Cup 2015 not just because they know the conditions well but the variety they possess in their attack gives them the upper hand. All the Australian bowlers are different with Johnson extracting bounce from the surface, Starc having the ability to swing the bowl both ways and Faulkner having a catalogue of different kind of slower balls. If Australian batting fails on a given day, this bowling line up has the ability to defend low totals and win the game for Australia.

X-Factor

For me X-factor in the Australian line up is Mitchell Marsh. Marsh will be batting at No. 6 and has all the ingredients of being a perfect no. 6. In crunch situation Australia needing 40 balls 60 I will back up Marsh to achieve it for his country. Not only with bat he medium pace bowling will be quite handy in the middle overs.

Best Result

Winners (1987), Winners (1999), Winners (2003), Winners (2007)

Overall

A semifinal spot seems a certainty to me for this Australian side and like the way in 2011 they very well could be the second host nation to lift the World Cup on the home soil.