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Five things Australia must do to save their T20 World Cup campaign
By Malcolm Conn
It would be polite to suggest that Australia have had a mixed Twenty20 World Cup. At times they have been diabolical, with their sloppy efforts contributing to the spectre of an early exit from the tournament.
Australia are bidding to complete the trifecta of T20 World Cup, ODI World Cup and World Test Championship. However, on current performances they are unlikely to make the semi-finals.
To create history Australia must:
Beat India, again
Australia are making a habit of beating India when it matters most, having scored comprehensive victories in the World Test Championship final at The Oval and the one-day World Cup final in Ahmedabad last year.
There is no trophy on the line for tomorrow’s match, at 12.30am Tuesday, Australian time, but a loss is likely to see Australia unceremoniously tipped out of the tournament with consecutive defeats after winning their first four matches.
Australia celebrate winning the one-day World Cup in India last November. Can they beat India again?Credit: Getty
Will India approach the match with an inferiority complex knowing Australia can hammer their bowling and choke their batting like no other side?
Or will this be the Indian side which has conquered all before it in this tournament and are out for revenge against their nemesis, who appear ripe for the picking?
Pull out the calculator
Such are the machinations surrounding Australia’s group of four teams in their Super Eights section that Australia could beat India and still miss out on the semi-finals, or lose and still go through – although both scenarios are unlikely.
Australia beat India and Afghanistan lose to Bangladesh in the last group match: Australia and India go through to the semi-finals with two wins each.
Australia beat India and Afghanistan beat Bangladesh: Three teams will be on two wins, each while Bangladesh will be winless. The semi-finalists will be decided on run rate, with Australia and India having a significantly better run rate than Afghanistan. Australia and India will go through unless Afghanistan have a big win and Australia a narrow victory.
India beat Australia and Bangladesh beat Afghanistan: India go through undefeated, with the other three teams on one win each. Australia should still go through on run rate unless they get crushed by India.
India beat Australia and Afghanistan beat Bangladesh: Australia are gone, finishing third in their group with just one win. India and Afghanistan go through to the semi-finals. On current form, this scenario looms large.
Take a catch or stop a ball
Australia’s fielding has been dreadful. In their last group match against Scotland, which had no bearing on whether they advanced to the next stage, they missed six chances including three in three balls. Worryingly, they allowed Scotland to make180, leaving an unnecessarily difficult run chase which Australia achieved with two balls remaining.
Ashton Agar drops a catch against Afghanistan.Credit: Getty Images
While it could be pointed out that Australia had nothing to play for given they were already guaranteed a place in the Super Eights, the performance was unbefitting of a team which, given their trophy cabinet, suggests they are currently the best team in the world.
Australia had everything to play for against Afghanistan and their performance in the field was worse than the one against Scotland. They not only dropped five catches, they missed balls in the field to concede boundaries that would have made a club captain furious.
“We gave them 20 too many,” captain Mitch Marsh said after the match, trying not to criticise his team.
Lead from the front
Mitch Marsh was a central figure in Australia’s two most recent World Cup triumphs. The 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE, where he drove Australia to their first T20 title with a player of the match performance in the final, and last year’s one-day World Cup as Australia’s second-highest run scorer.
In this tournament Marsh has 88 runs at an average under 18 from six matches with a strike rate of just 111. He has one score above 20 – 35, against England in what was Australia’s most clinical performance of the tournament.
Marsh appears under prepared, having suffered what became a lingering hamstring tendon injury in April which forced Marsh out of the IPL after just four matches. Even then he had struggled, making a total of just 61 runs and taking only one wicket.
After arriving in Trinidad during late May to prepare for the T20 World Cup, Marsh was still unable to field in the first practice match, against Namibia, and hasn’t bowled in the tournament.
He needs to make an impression against India if are Australia are to avoid an early flight home.
Mitchell Marsh has had a disappointing T20 World Cup.Credit: Getty Images
Avoid blaming the FIFO schedule
While the Australians can’t be excused for their dreadful fielding, it would be understandable if they didn’t know where they were or what time it was.
While India, England and Afghanistan have a fairly straightforward Super Eights schedule, Australia are island hopping on a fly in, fly out furious rate of play one day, travel the next, with late matches and morning flights.
The matches that matter
Australia v India - 12.30am (Tuesday AEST)
Afghanistan v Bangladesh 10.30am (Tuesday AEST)
Australian players have been joking about “playing again tomorrow” when they leave the grounds early in the morning before setting their alarms to catch another bus to another airport a few hours later.
Their Super Eights schedule is three matches on three different islands in five days.
With the broadcast schedule revolving around India and the billions it generates to keep the international game alive, Australia have 34 hours between their matches against Afghanistan and India.
But blaming the schedule for poor performances would be like blaming the umpiring.