Australia Cricket Team Outlook for 20/20 World Cup
They have been the World Champions of cricket for the past 11 years, yet they are unable to cash their successful into the shortest form of the game, where they have lost matches against Zimbabwe, West Indies and Pakistan during the last 3 years.
The Australians have struggled to come to terms with the demands of Twenty20 cricket but are taking steps to ensure they will not be embarrassed again in the West Indies.
PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FOR:
David Warner will be the man to look out for. He has hammered 21 of the 291 balls he has faced in Twenty20 internationals for sixes, making him an obvious choice as Australia's danger man with the bat.
The batting line-up comprises of the most impressive Twenty20 batsmen. From Shane Watson at the top of the order to Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey in the middle order, the Aussies have it all. Add Cameron White, Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson in the lower order and you have batsmen who are capable of clearing the rope at any ground in the closing overs.
The Australians are a complete side where fielders back their bowlers till the very end. The bowling has pace aplenty with Johnson, the in-form Ryan Harris and former Dutch international Dirk Nannes, while there is also a plethora of all-rounders to call upon to fill in with a few overs here and there.
PROS OF AUSTRALIAN CRICKET:
Michael Clarke, who took over the captaincy when Ricky Ponting announced his retirement from T20 cricket last September to concentrate on playing Test and one-day internationals, has a multi-skilled squad at his disposal. He can call on the prodigious-hitting abilities of David Warner, Shane Watson, Cameron White and Haddin, the steadying experience of Mike Hussey and the explosive bowling combination of Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Tait. With the departure of all-rounders Andrew Symonds and James Hopes, the side has grown in stature, and will be hoping to see one of their uncapped all-rounders - Dan Christian and Steve Smith - to make an impact on the Twenty20 format of the game.
CONS OF AUSTRALIAN CRICKET:
Fast bowling warhorse Brett Lee’s absence will be felt by the world one day champions. Lee strained his arm muscle during the warm up loss against Zimbabwe and has been replaced by Ryan Harris in the Australian squad. The Aussies will also miss a quality spinner like Shane Warne. Although they have Nathan Hauritz and Steven Smith, both will have to do exceptionally well to justify their places in the Twenty20 squad.
JOURNEY IN TWENTY20 WORLD CUP:
The Australians were dumped from last year's World Twenty20 in England in three days after suffering defeats at the hands of the West Indies and Sri Lanka. They were soundly beaten by India in the 2007 semi-final, but that is not their worst memory. The honour goes to their loss to Zimbabwe in the inaugural World Cup where Brendon Taylor frustrated the Aussies to win it for his side.
CHANCES IN THE THIRD EDITION:
Aussies have shown signs of improvement recently, under the new skipper Michael Clarke. They have won four of their five T20 internationals this year and are heading to the Caribbean confident of finally taking home the only trophy that has eluded them.
They will also face a trial by spin in their group against defending champions Pakistan and the talented but unpredictable Bangladesh. While hitting pace is no problem, they must work out ways to score off the high number of slow bowlers they are going to come up against.
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