The World Cup chronicles: Australia have “perfect” team




In almost two weeks’ time, the 2015 ICC World Cup is set to begin in Australia-New Zealand and as usual, everyone has come out with their opinions on who will take the coveted trophy home. Three names that would instantly crop up in anyone’s mind are Australia, South Africa and India, who are being considered as the primary title contenders. However, out of these three, Australia seems to have the right balance and combination of players required to win a trophy of such magnitude. Let’s observe, analyse and understand why Australia has the “perfect” team.

The ICC World Cup 2015 chronicles: Australia have “perfect” team

The ICC World Cup 2015 chronicles: Australia have “perfect” team

Since the first edition of the WC, every winning team has had its openers firing as a pre-condition to success in the tournament. Be it Virender Sehwag-Sachin Tendulkar (2011) or Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist (2003 and 2007). Though you would not consider Aaron Finch and David Warner in the same light, their abilities to win matches are undeniable. Apart from being exceptionally destructive, Finch and Warner can play the long innings, which is imperative for all opening pairs. In addition, their left-hand-right-hand combination is bound to put oppositions in a fix should they get going.

Shane Watson and Steven Smith, coming in at 3 and 4, respectively, give Australia the much needed strength to the middle order, which is critical to any team that wants to win the Cup. Smith is in the form of his life and cannot do anything wrong at the moment. His last seven innings in all forms of cricket read 40, 102*, 47, 37, 117, 71 and 192, and speak volumes about his exploits in the past season. Shane Watson, on the other hand, is like a recipe with the right ingredients simmering on a burner and ready to become a complete dish. For years now, Watson’s exceptional talent has kept him in the team but has rarely transformed into a big trophy for Australia; the 2015 cricket World Cup might just be the stage he needs.

If having Finch, Warner, Smith and Watson as your top four was not enough, Australia have Glenn Maxwell, George Bailey, Mitchell Marsh, Brad Haddin and James Faulkner to follow them. The best part about all these batsmen is their ability to be destructive and circumspect at the same time. Maxwell, on his day, is single-handedly enough to win a match and would get tremendous confidence playing at home, where is well aware of the conditions. Bailey, Marsh, Haddin and Faulkner, on the other hand, can finish games and stay at the wicket if the need be. An excellent example of the same was the Marsh-Maxwell partnership in the final of the Carlton-Mid tri series against England, in which both right handers propelled Australia from around 62-4 to a total of 278.

Though the batting is quite dangerous, Australia’s bowling is what makes them favourites to win the Cup for a fifth time. In Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood, Australia have a pace trio that is complete in all aspects. The neck-breaking pace of Johnson and Starc is bound to send chills down the spines of batsmen. Johnson is raring to go after a break and Starc is developing into a consistent match-winning bowler for the Kangaroos. Add to that the abilities of Josh Hazlewood or Pat Cummins, we have a match-winning bowling line-up. This, surprisingly, is without considering that Faulkner, Marsh and Maxwell will bowl at least 20 overs between them. On wickets that will have a hint of turn, Australia are likely to play young Xavier Doherty instead of a seamer.

Should Michael Clarke get fit before the World Cup, it will be a big boost to the hosts as they would be reassured of top class leadership. In a nutshell, the Australian squad consists of 15 players who are capable of playing in the main XI at all points with the exception of Xavier Doherty. Striking the right combination is the only thing that Darren Lehmann and his think tank will need to figure out. That sorted, Australia could well become the first team to win the World Cup five times.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Author:

Cricket

US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti enjoys gully cricket in Jaipur

US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti enjoys gully cricket in Jaipur

Posted by: Vikram Kamboj on February 4th, 2024

Jaipur, 04 February 2024: US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti was in the pink city on Saturday where the Ambassador dropped by Rajasthan Royals’ home stadium ..

Football

LALIGA Concludes ‘Extra Time’ Webinar Series

LALIGA Concludes ‘Extra Time’ Webinar Series

Posted by: Pooja Kamboj on May 16th, 2024

Continuing to work alongside stakeholders from the sports fraternity, LALIGA, the world’s largest football ecosystem, brought the curtains down on this se ..

Tennis

Leander Paes inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame

Leander Paes inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame

Posted by: Vikram Kamboj on December 19th, 2023

Former doubles world No. 1 Leander Paes was recently elected to receive the Ultimate Honor in Tennis – induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame &# ..

F1

Life Lessons learned from Sports & Fitness #TOSBDay

Life Lessons learned from Sports & Fitness #TOSBDay

Posted by: Vikram Kamboj on September 26th, 2016

Held on Sept 1st, The Outstanding Speakers’ Bureau (TOSB) Twinterview consisted of sports panelists such as Mark Gallagher (Public Speaker on F1 race), Shayam ..

Boxing

Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker set for huge showdown

Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker set for huge showdown

Posted by: Vikram Kamboj on February 15th, 2018

It looks like it will be a scintillating couple of months for fans of elite boxing. There is the prospect of the rematch between Gennady Golovkin and Saul ‘Ca ..

Other Sports

The 2023-24 Season of the Los Angeles Clippers: A Mid-Season Review

The 2023-24 Season of the Los Angeles Clippers: A Mid-Season Review

Posted by: Vikram Kamboj on February 15th, 2024

As the 2023-24 NBA season approaches the All-Star break, the Los Angeles Clippers have emerged as a formidable force in the Western Conference, showcasing their ..

One stop guide to all the latest sports news, reviews, opinions, fixtures and live scores from India and around the world.

Copyright © 2024 | The Sports Mirror