T20 World Cup 2021 Team Preview – Australia

According to former Aussie cricketing legend Brett Lee, the 2021 T20 World Cup presents the best chance for the Australian side to lift the trophy. The kangaroos have never managed to get their hands on the T20 World Cup Trophy even once.

Australia came within touching distance of the title in the 2010 T20 World Cup but went down in the final to their arch-rivals England. Also, the kangaroos have reached the semi-final stage of the tournament in the 2007 and 2012 editions of the T20 World Cup as well. In the 2016 edition of the tournament, Australia could not progress to the semifinal stages of the competition.

Build-up Form

Coming into the 2021 T20 World Cup, Australia has lost 5 consecutive T20I series. In fact, Australia’s last T20I series victory came in February 2020, when they beat South Africa 2-1. In their previous T20I series, against the Bangladesh side, the kangaroos were walloped by a margin of 1-4. However, Australia played this series without their T20I regulars like David Warner, Aaron Finch, and Steve Smith.

In their last 10 T20I matches, Australia have won only 2 rubbers. They also lost their previous home series that they played against India in December 2020 as well. Also, a number of Australian players who will be participating in the 2021 T20 World Cup like Glenn Maxwell, Josh Hazlewood, Steve Smith, and Marcus Stoinis were also a part of the second leg of the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) that was held in the UAE.

Strength and Weakness

Australia has a good batting lineup that has a lot of depth. Aaron Finch brings with him an experience of 76 T20I matches, and the Aussie skipper has also scored 2473 runs in T20I cricket as well. Finch also averages a decent 36.00 in the 10 T20I innings that he has played in 2021.

Even though David Warner was not amongst the runs in the 2 innings that he played in the 2021 edition of the IPL in the UAE, the left-hander is still an asset at the top of the order and is the second-highest run-scorer for Australia (2265 runs) in T20I cricket. Also, Warner has played 4 T20I matches for the kangaroos in the UAE and has scored 165 runs at an excellent average of 55.00 and a strike rate in excess of 140.

Glenn Maxwell was in scintillating form in IPL 2021, scoring 513 runs at an average of 42.75, and will look to carry forward that form and momentum into the T20 World Cup. While wicketkeeper Matthew Wade can be useful with the bat, Marcus Stoinis can strike lusty blows at the fag end as well.

The recent form of their spinners is a cause of concern for the Australian cricket team. UAE is a place where the spinners will surely have a major role to play. And, the two frontline spinners that the kangaroos have picked for the T20 World Cup, Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar have not been amongst the wickets in recent times.

During Australia’s tour to Bangladesh in August 2021, Agar could not take advantage of the slow and low tracks that were on offer, and could only scalp 3 wickets in the 5 matches that he played. The left-arm spinner went wicketless in 2 matches as well. Agar averaged a high 37.33 on pitches that were helpful to the spinners.

Adam Zampa too has leaked runs at an economy rate of 7.88 runs per over in the 14 T20Is that he has played in 2021, and has picked up only 13 wickets in the entire year in T20Is as well.

And finally, their third specialist spinner in the squad, Mitchell Swepson is inexperienced and has only played 7 T20I matches for the Australian side.

Players to watch out for

Adaptability and Flexibility

As Mitchell Marsh pointed out, the kangaroos have players who can float around in the batting lineup. And, the flexibility in their batting order will help the kangaroos in adapting to the surfaces in the UAE. Glenn Maxwell is in the form of his life and is a player who can decimate bowling attacks when he gets going.

Maxwell was hugely successful in the second leg of IPL 2021 that was held in the UAE, and those are the exact same conditions that the T20 World Cup will be played. Mitchell Marsh will most likely bat at No.3 in the lineup, while the likes of Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade can be floated around in the batting order. Wade can come in at No.6 or No.7 and strike lusty blows for his side. At the same time, Wade can also open the batting if the need arises as well.

Also, if the frontline spinners are having an off day with the ball, Glenn Maxwell can chip in with a few overs of off-spin as well.

Probable Finish

Australia is placed alongside South Africa, West Indies, England, and Afghanistan in Group 1, and will be joined by two more teams from the Qualifiers as well. And, the Aussies have a well-balanced squad this time around for the 2021 T20 World Cup. It might not be such a straightforward path to the semifinals for the kangaroos, with former champions England and defending champions West Indies in their group.

However, it is surely not beyond Aaron Finch and his men to qualify for the semifinal stages of the competition. And, Australia’s success in the knockout stages of the competition (if they qualify) will boil down to how they handle the ‘big match’ pressure.

Australia Schedule in 2021 T20 World Cup

23 October 2021 – Australia v South Africa – 15:30 PM – Abu Dhabi

28 October 2021 – Australia vs A1 – 19:30 PM – Dubai

30 October 2021 – Australia v England – 19:30 PM – Dubai

4 November 2021 – Australia v B2 – 15:30 PM – Dubai

6 November 2021 – Australia v West Indies – 15:30 PM – Abu Dhabi