World T20 2016: SWOT Analysis of the Australian team

The mega event of the shortest format of the game World T20 is underway in India and is expected outdo its previous editions in the cricket crazy nation. Australia, easily the most successful team in Tests and ODIs over decades finds it a bit difficult to emulate the same success in T20Is. In fact, ICC World T20 is the only ICC event that the Aussies haven’t yet won.

In the 5 editions, Australia have made the semi-finals on 3 occasions which includes the 2010 edition where they lost to their arch-rivals England in the final. Only Sri Lanka and Pakistan have been a part of more semi-finals with 4 each. So it is unfair to say that Aussies are perennial underperformers in T20s. In this edition though, they will look to strike the right balance and win the sole trophy that’s eluded them for 9 years.

Strength:

The Aussies have a very formidable batting line-up that boasts of game-changers like Aaron Finch, David Warner, Shane Watson, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell and James Faulkner. The positive for them will also be the fact that most of these batsmen have done quite well in the IPL and hence the Indian spinning conditions won’t be much of a problem for them. On their day, each one of the can change the course of a game with the bat. Add to that Usman Khawaja and Mitchell Marsh and this might be the best batting line-up in the tournament. The only headache the Aussies are going to have is, whom to play and whom to leave out. Prior to the World T20, they are on tour of South Africa and have lost one and won a match, while the final match will determine the series.

Weakness:

While the Australian batting looks top class, their bowling lineup appears like brutal. In the recent T20 series vs India, the Australian bowlers struggled to contain the Indian batsmen and were successful in taking only 9 wickets in the entire series. Bowling has generally been Australia’s strong point and such patchiness in form might hurt them in the World Twenty20. The inclusion of Josh Hazlewood will surely bolster their bowling attack but he also last played a T20I game in 2014, so it is to be seen how he steps up to the plate.

In their spin department, they have Adam Zampa who impressed one and all in the BBL and followed it up with a good show in the recent New Zealand ODI series. This performance of his, helped him nose ahead of the competition in Nathan Lyon and Cameron Boyce. Ashton Agar, who like Zampa, recently made his T20 International debut will be hoping to get a look in as the spinning all-rounder in the side at some point in the tournament.

It has to be said that this Australian bowling line-up is quite inexperienced and their success will highly depend on how well they adapt to the Indian conditions, which are much slower and spin friendly than the pitches they get back at home.

Opportunities:

This young team has the chance to win the tournament and set the record straight. There has been a lot of criticism for the way the team has prepared during the run up to the World T20, chopping and changing their batting line-up and leaving out their top players in the recent series vs India. One felt they aren’t quite serious about T20 cricket. This gives them the opportunity to silence their critics once and for all.

Threats:

While their team on paper looks quite exciting, they have a task at hand to justify their talents. Their weakness against spin bowling in the middle overs was exposed in the recent T20 series vs India. Their opponents in the group, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and the qualifier, will have done their homework on this. The turning Indian wickets might bring the downfall of the Australian team as even New Zealand, who have traditionally banked on their faster bowlers to do the damage with the ball have 3 frontline spin options. So their adaptability surely will be tested along with what they deem as a sound batting line-up.

Not many of their players have played in India and the onus will be on the senior players. Let’s hope the Aussies do their homework this time around.

Squad: Steve Smith (c), Aaron Finch, David Warner, Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell, Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Marsh, Peter Nevill, James Faulkner, John Hastings, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Ashton Agar, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Coulter-Nile

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