Australia Team Discussion

[NILAYSHAH60]

Felt like this was the right thread, hence replying it over here-

Australia’s T20 WC win is something that defies logic every time you think about it. The team had no middle order batters (no, Stoinis doesn’t count. He still is a natural top order bat forced into the middle order because all-rounders are so and he has long levers) except for the one they chose to play at three instead of one of the greatest talents their country has ever seen (who got played completely out of position at five) and he went on to be the MVP. Oh and their bowling attack had two bowlers who were primarily test match bowlers in terms of playing style and the one white ball legend who wasn’t in great form either. They also had one of their openers be a total non-contributor with the bat and the other was heading in with a cloud over his head regarding form. The best part was that they played an opener down at seven as a primarily specialist keeper and finisher.

2021 indeed was a strange year for T20s. CSK winning the IPL with just a strong opening pair and no wrist spin bowlers also adds to it.

So I finally got time to come on to this.....

Australia's Squad for 2021 WT20

Warner
Finch
M Marsh
Maxwell
Steve Smith
Stoinis
Wade
Pat Cummins
Starc
Zampa
Hazlewood

Ashton Agar ^
Daniel Christian
Nathan Ellis ^
Josh Inglis †
Kane Richardson ^
Daniel Sams ^
Mitchell Swepson ^

1. Both Warner & Finch had scored 4th highest number of runs as an opening partnership in T20Is last 3 years preceding the 2021 WT20. They maintained a run rate of 9.64 with 3 stands of 50 & 100 respectively!
2. No middle order batters? Yes I agree, but Stoinis was a great success in IPL since 2020 batting in the middle order having a strike rate of about 185!
3. Mitchell Marsh had an average of almost 40 in year 2021 and he has played as a proper no.3 in the Carribean and the Bangladesh where the ball turned a lot. In a way he was prepared to play in UAE conditions
4. Maxwell had a very good season with the RCB as he scored 500+ runs that season and had a strike rate of close to 145! Just think of the kind of destruction this team was capable of had Lynn been included considering his great records in the Abu Dhabi T10 league.
5. Since 2019, Wade had scored about 882 runs in 22 innings leading upto the WT20 with a SR of 165 in T20s and averaged close to 44
6. Pat Cummins had struggled as a T20 bowler but in the WT20 2021, his economy was under 7.50 which is an absolute bonus in this format.
7. Starc is a proven performer in this but unfortunately he had his worst tournament
8. Zampa have got a 6-fer in IPL and also have claimed a lot of wickets in the subcontinent which gave him an experience to bowl in UAE!
9. Hazlewood being a Test specialist is a myth that has been created for quite a while now. I remember him being at his absolute best in the 2012 Champions League t20 in South Africa. He was also touted as one of the very great potentials for limited overs Cricket earlier in his career.

It was not like they did not have the team to succeed but it's just that we failed to look past the team's basic template and put their actual planning into perspective. The same happened with Gujarat Titans!

 

[icyman]

Get in Will Pucovski and make him captain. That, actually might be the luck he's been waiting for his entire life...!

 

[Paranoid Kendroid]

Since 2019, Wade had scored about 882 runs in 22 innings leading upto the WT20 with a SR of 165 in T20s and averaged close to 44

Wade played as an opener in that time period for Hobart Hurricanes and Australia.

Hazlewood being a Test specialist is a myth that has been created for quite a while now. I remember him being at his absolute best in the 2012 Champions League t20 in South Africa. He was also touted as one of the very great potentials for limited overs Cricket earlier in his career.

No one called him a test specialist. He has a better bowling average in ODIs than Dale Steyn. But it's true he wasn't that good in T20s. His average was around 26 in all T20s (as of 11 Apr 2021, found on Internet Archive). Although he had only played 40 T20s at that point.

It was not like they did not have the team to succeed but it's just that we failed to look past the team's basic template and put their actual planning into perspective. The same happened with Gujarat Titans!

I would love to see your analysis on Gujarat Titans' performance and their similarity with Australia's win.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

No one called him a test specialist.

Oh and their bowling attack had two bowlers who were primarily test match bowlers in terms of playing style

One of which was Hazlewood?

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

I would love to see your analysis on Gujarat Titans' performance and their similarity with Australia's win.

I remember myself posting one such but I couldn't find it atm.

 

[Bevab]

Eh I think you've made a few assumptions that I wasn't trying to convey in my post then. I certainly wasn't sleeping on Australia as a contender for the T20 WC, I remember calling them the favourites for the postponed 2020 T20WC because I believed they had the strongest top three and two of the top ten T20 batters in their lineup at that time and a white ball legend pacer. I just remarked on the way they got there as a surprise. I don't recall calling Cummins or Hazlewood test specialists either, having a playing style that is more suitable to tests isn't equivalent to being a specialist in tests. I remember saying that CSK nabbing Hazlewood for base price was the bargain of the auction once and I've always been a huge fan of him in CSK colours and often criticized them for not selecting him. A player like McGrath would still be a top pick for a T20 side even if he's a primarily test match style bowler.

The rest of the points are simply stats without proper context added to them. Disingenious to regard Finch's past form when he's been a very hot and cold player who randomly snaps in and out of form and was in terrible form at that time for instance. Each of the rest has a similar counter-point that I doubt I'll address due to how simple they are.

 

[icyman]

So, Mitch Marsh rules himself out of contention- good ,at least he understand his limitations here!

Mitchell Marsh on one-day captaincy: 'Probably not...I'm out of the race'

The allrounder had been considered a possible replacement for Aaron Finch

www.espncricinfo.com

 

[Bevab]

So, Mitch Marsh rules himself out of contention- good ,at least he understand his limitations here!

Mitchell Marsh on one-day captaincy: 'Probably not...I'm out of the race'

The allrounder had been considered a possible replacement for Aaron Finch

www.espncricinfo.com

Marsh is a good captain though, feels like he’s just ruling himself out because he knows he won’t be fit and available all the while.

I shall once again reiterate that Head is the way to go. When in doubt, always opt for Head.

 

[Bevab]

CA have handed it to Cummins in the end. Wonder if he’ll also be the T20I captain in the future then. Wonder how many games he’ll ‘rest’ too.

If they continue with Carey as the vice-captain though oh boy…

 

[wasteyouryouth]

CA have handed it to Cummins in the end. Wonder if he’ll also be the T20I captain in the future then. Wonder how many games he’ll ‘rest’ too.

If they continue with Carey as the vice-captain though oh boy…

Makes sense, they can 'rest' him from his weakest format.

 

[Umair7]

Cummins should just retire & let Ellis take his place in T20I. McDermott should be our long term keeper in Limited Overs Cricket after Wade retires imo.

CA have handed it to Cummins in the end. Wonder if he’ll also be the T20I captain in the future then. Wonder how many games he’ll ‘rest’ too.

If they continue with Carey as the vice-captain though oh boy…

 

[Aislabie]

It's nice to see that Australia have a ready-made replacement for Nathan Lyon. Todd Murphy looked absolutely Test class for the PM's XI, and if he does make it then it'll also be nice to see some more glasses representation at international level

 

[ddrap14]

It's nice to see that Australia have a ready-made replacement for Nathan Lyon. Todd Murphy looked absolutely Test class for the PM's XI, and if he does make it then it'll also be nice to see some more glasses representation at international level

unusual way to spell Mitchell Swepson

 

[Bevab]

unusual way to spell Mitchell Swepson

A lot of Aussie fans don’t seem to rate Swepson at all.

Murphy on the other hand looks like the real deal indeed.

 

[ddrap14]

A lot of Aussie fans don’t seem to rate Swepson at all.

I on the other hand consistently overrate Swepson compared to the average.

Is this because we're both legspinners who played for the same team growing up? Probably...