Australia will be looking to extend its record of 5 World Cup titles when they begin their latest campaign in October. The team bowed out in the semi-finals during the last edition, where they faced a huge defeat at the hands of eventual champions, England.
Australia finished at the 6th place in the Super League points table, managing to win just 12 of the 18 matches they played, which is quite disappointing by their lofty standards. However, they seem to be peaking in form just at the right time. They have lost just 2 of the 7 ODIs played since the end of that cycle and also defeated India to lift their maiden WTC title earlier this year.
There is no team that lifts its game in world events like Australia. The enter a tournament believing it is theirs to win and that can often make all the difference. Not a single team would like to face them in a knockout in the 2023 Cricket World Cup either.
Batsmen
Steve Smith
Travis Head
David Warner
All-rounders
Cameron Green
Mitchell Marsh
Glenn Maxwell
Marcus Stoinis
Ashton Agar
Sean Abbott
Wicket-keepers
Alex Carey
Josh Inglis
Bowlers
Pat Cummins (C)
Josh Hazlewood
Adam Zampa
Mitchell Starc
Australia will rely on its formidable batting line-up to deliver the goods. Steve Smith and David Warner have plenty of experience playing on Indian pitches and will be invaluable to the team. Travis Head, who has been partnering with Warner at the top of the order, is in blazing form. (His injury in the series against South Africa makes him unsure to be able to make the final list of players).
The team has a good reserve of all-rounders, who can contribute in all aspects of the game. Mitchell Marsh, Cameron Green, and Glenn Maxwell had successful stints in the recent IPL and will look to replicate their success.
In fact, it looks like Mitchell Marsh is finally realizing the potential he has promised for so long and adds a lot of depth to the Australian squad. The new ultra-aggressive batting approach that Australia has demonstrated in recent times is the modern way of playing cricket.
If it can pull that off consistently, we will see multiple 350-plus scores being racked up by this Australian team.
The pace attack will be another plus for Australia. Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood are capable of dismantling the opposition batting on any given day. There is no team that has a more experienced bowling lineup.
Whether they all end up playing in the same playing eleven remains to be seen.
Weaknesses
One glaring weakness for the Australians is their thin spin attack. The pitches in India are often slow and provide plenty of grip and turn to the slower bowlers. However, Australia has included only one full-time spinner in the form of Adam Zampa.
They will need Ashton Agar or Glenn Maxwell to fill in during the middle overs, both of whom can leak runs. Also, the two wicket-keepers, Alex Carey and Josh Inglis Inglis don’t have much experience playing on Indian pitches.
Australia also seems to be relying a lot on part-time bowlers like Stoinis, Green, and Marsh to be able to bowl at crucial times in exchange for their batting abilities. That is a dangerous ploy while playing in India.
Finding the right balance to their team selection is something that could hold them back as they have a tendency to stick to their experienced players if they are in the squad.
8-10-23 Australia vs India MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
12-10-23 Australia vs South Africa Ekana Stadium, Lucknow
16-10-23 Australia vs Sri Lanka Ekana Stadium, Lucknow
20-10-23 Australia vs Pakistan M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
25-10-23 Australia vs Netherlands Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
28-10-23 Australia vs New Zealand HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala
4-11-23 Australia vs England Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
7-11-23 Australia vs Afghanistan Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
11-11-23 Australia vs Bangladesh MCA Stadium, Pune
There are quite a few injury concerns for Australia. Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc have missed the series against South Africa due to fitness concerns. However, the team does have a 3-match ODI series lined up against India before the start of the World Cup, and that should clear up the picture.
Top run-scorer of 2023
Marnus Labuschagne is the top run-getter for Australia this year. However, he hasn’t been included in the 15-member squad. Among the ones who are part of the squad, Mitchell Marsh is the leading scorer so far with 240 runs in 6 innings.
Top wicket-taker of 2023
Adam Zampa is the leading wicket-taker for Australia in 2023 with 9 wickets in 6 matches. He has a bowling strike rate of 30.66 and an economy rate of 5.76.
Top run-getter: David Warner
David Warner had a bit of a lull in his form but seems to be peaking at the right time. He has scored 4 50+ scores in his last 7 innings, including 2 centuries. He averages over 50 in ODIs played in India and given his long experience of playing the IPL, knows the pitches pretty well.
Top wicket-taker: Mitchell Starc
Among all the bowlers playing in this World Cup, Mitchell Starc is the most successful with 49 wickets in just 18 matches. He was the leading wicket-taker for Australia as well as in the tournament during the previous edition, picking up an extraordinary 27 wickets in just 10 matches. Given the fact that Australia is a bit lacking in spin department, the quicker bowlers will have an opportunity to shine and Starc is undoubtedly the best among the lot.
