Australia’s tour of Bangladesh: SWOT Analysis of the Australian team

Australia’s tour of Bangladesh: SWOT Analysis of the Australian team: On a mellow spring morning in Fatullah around 9 years ago, Ricky Ponting and his men took the field for the 1^st Test vs Bangladesh. By the end of second days play the Bangla Tigers went on to score a mammoth 427, riding on Shahriar’s ton. The world champions then collapsed to a partly score of 269. Bangladesh for the first time enjoyed an upper hand against the giants. Unfortunately the wheels came down in no time and Punter’s men handed defeat in the hands of the home side. The second Test turned out in a similar fashion, this time Australia winning by an innings and 80 runs, thanks to Jason Gillespie’s entertaining double century. The ODIs begged to differ and the tour was over before the Tigers could start their run.

But then the above mentioned tale was written some nine years back. Things have changed since then. We broke up with Orkut and got engaged to Twitter. Yes its been that long.

Australia will show their straight bat when it comes to the upcoming series against the emerging Asian team. Bangladesh have come of age in recent times and Smith’s men will be tested on all fronts. Australia will surely start as favourites but then the away conditions may turn out to be tricky for the likes of Maxwell and Marsh. With the series starting this coming October, the onus will be on the Bangladeshi batsmen to lift their team and come out with flying colors.

So in order to bring about every facet of their game in focus, let’s have a look at the SWOT Analysis of Australian team:

Strengths:

Playing the spin music:

This young side will have their eyes set on the ball from a very early stage. Shakib Al Hasan will play the trump card for Bangladesh. Shaun Marsh, Maxwell and even Khawaja are known to play spin well, while the skipper will look to milk the bowlers around the park.

Swashbuckling Smith:

Steve Smith’s love affair with the red cherry must continue to go on if Australia are to post a threat. Apart from being the mainstay at the crease, Smith will look to rotate his bowlers well and call the shot against a strong home side. He will take the crease with a healthy average of 56.27 along with 11 tons and 12 fifties in his kitty.

Maxwell’s Midas touch:

Glenn Maxwell is a complete package who comes in with lot of options. He would look to cement his place in the side and carry on with his quirky spin bowling. Very often batsmen took Maxwell’s craft as a bowler for granted and paid the price. Apart from flying around the park, Maxwell will look to dominate with the bat and play a vital part in the teams composition.

Bowling attack:

The Australian bowling side looks threatening on the bowling front. Bangladesh will be happy to see off Jhonson, but they will waste no time to gear up against the likes of Siddle and Starc. Pat Cummins and Marsh will look to grab their chances as Australia will look to make use of their bowling strength to reduce the opposition. Nathan Lyon will look to get some purchase from the pitch and tangle the Bongo Tigers with his spin web. Test matches are won by taking wickets and Australia does show a lot of promise.

Weakness:

Being complacent:

Australia cannot afford to lose their temperament. Rubel and his men will bowl their heart out and will look to grab every half chance. Australia playing without Warner and Clarke will be wary of their own weaknesses and will look to bat out their opponents.

Slow and low pitches:

Australia will try get adapt to the conditions as soon as they step in. Their recent success have come around fast and bouncy pitches. With Australia holding a strong pace unit, won’t be surprised if Bangladesh goes back to secure mode i.e. play out slow and low wickets.

New bunch old story:

Having played most of their cricket on familiar turf. The team as a whole will look to break early shackles when it comes to building partnerships and rotating strike. With so much T20 on offer, it will be interesting to see how well they fare in running between the wickets.

Opportunities:

With a relatively inexperienced side, the youngsters will look to cash in their chances. The likes of Khawaja, Bancroft and Voges will look to make amend of the situation.

Nevill wears the Haddin Hat:

Peter Nevill will thank his stars as he gets a shot to cement his place in the side. With 4 Test caps to his name, Nevill will look to build in a solid foundation from the onset. His safe hands will come into play along with his batting ability.

Threats:

Every country has a favourite son, Shakib Al hasan has been carrying Bangladesh’s hopes for a long time now. His ability to bat at any circumstance makes him a lethal threat. He is a proven customer when it comes to spin bowling. Along with these abilities comes in his decision-making skills. For all those rookies who are unaware of his stature must check the all rounder’s ranking for once.

Soumya Sarkar and his golden run:

This Sarkar will look to continue his Raj (rule) by taking on the likes of Starc, Cummins and Siddle. His natural ability to find gaps will come handy when it comes to opening the innings in any format. If his current form is a hint to go by, then Smith’s men must have a plan B in place.

Pitch:

A layer of cut grass on the pitch for the one-off Test against India raised a few eyebrows. The curator will look to keep the wicket intact without much break up which may otherwise lead to uneven bounce.

Past:

If past results between the two sides in Bangladesh is something to go by then Australia are sure to wrap up the event within 3 playing days. But then Bangladesh’s recent run at the international level can surely make the past look imperfect. All in all an interesting one to watch out for.