It’s the one trophy that eluded us: Steve Smith

Australian skipper Steve Smith has said that it is high time that the Aussies become serious contenders for the World T20 title. The Australians have been unable to embrace the shortest version of the game and have never won the prestigious tournament.

“It’s the one trophy that eluded us. We want to win every tournament and series that we play in. We are pretty settled. We have got 15 guys who can give this tournament a real shake,” Smith said about the fifth ranked side.

However, Steve Smith’s Australia has been in decent form of late with an impressive series win over of South Africa at their own backyard.

“We played good in South Africa to win that series there. Guys have stepped up and we’re in good form. It’s going to take us squad mentality to do well in this tournament,” the Aussie skipper said about the team who won in South Africa 3-1 before landing.

“It’s just about being positive. We’ve got a good squad together. We know what to expect. It’s about going out there and making sure we can execute our skills. If we do that well hopefully we will win a lot of other games. But we certainly play a lot of T20 cricket. We know how to play the game and if we do to the best of our ability we will be a tough side to beat,” he said at the pre-tournament news conference.

Also read: Australia’s World T20 journey in numbers

Steve Smith also mentioned that the conditions in India was no longer a threat to the Aussies.

“We know what to expect from the conditions out here. A lot of us have played here in IPL and against India. We are ready for the challenge. The IPL has been great in the development of a lot of players from all around the world.

“The experience will hold us in good stead for this tournament. A lot of us know what to expect from the conditions from each ground. What it’s to like playing in front of great crowds. We’re really excited.”

“It’s about making sure my strokes are good and if I hit in the middle it’s generally going to go… That’s pretty much it,” Smith said.

India being the number one of side and starting as overwhelming favourites, Smith said it had not eased their pressure.

“We are playing in a World Cup and playing International cricket is always about pressure. It’s about taking each game at a time and try to win every game. It’s important to start the tournament really well. We’re looking forward to the games that coming up.”

“It just happens sometimes you get on a bit of a roll against some opposition. It’s hard to stop. It will be nice to come back and hit that roll once again.”