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It was in February 2020, when a full-strength Australian side won the T20I series in South Africa. It seemed like Australia had set the tone and were ready to emulate the feats of their women's team in the T20 World Cup, which was scheduled Down Under later that year. It was their fourth T20I series win on the trot. Australia had scaled to the no.1 spot in the ICC T20I Rankings.
Then the globe came to a halt due to the pandemic, and the mega event of 2020 got postponed by two years. Thereon, life for Australia, especially in the T20Is, hasn’t been the same. Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2021, the situation looks grim and alarming for the cricketing giants as they slumped to their fifth consecutive series defeat since the resumption of the sport after the pandemic.
Australia were never a force in the T20Is. Despite the success of the Big Bash League (BBL), Australia, the greatest cricketing nation, has struggled to find a blueprint for success in this format. The T20 World Cup remains the only major piece of silverware missing from their illustrious wardrobe.
As perceived, ‘not prioritizing T20Is’ isn’t the case anymore. With George Bailey now the chief selector, Cricket Australia have made it clear that they are now eyeing youth and freshness at the helm, and the upcoming T20 World Cup is where they are focusing.
Teams that have played more than 100 T20Is
With just over 60 days to go for the mega event, Australia, who were the no.1 side in T20Is, slumped to fifth spot in a year and have raging concerns to address in one of their worst cricketing phases.
Australia’s five consecutive T20I series losses
England clinches it; Australia salvages pride
Aaron Finch’s men landed on the English shores in September 2020 for a limited-overs tour. In the first game, England sneaked out a two-run win and comfortably took the series after winning the second match by six wickets. Another win for England would have helped them clinch the no.1 spot in the T20I rankings, but the Australian pacers and Mitchell Marsh prevented that as Australia clung onto the rankings with a five-wicket victory in the final T20I.
The situation wasn’t grim yet.
Stat trivia: Aaron Finch, the Australian captain, was the best player from the side with 125 runs at 41.66, striking at 137.4. It was a series dominated by spinners. Australia’s Ashton Agar claimed five wickets at 18.8, bowling at an economy rate of 7.83. England’s Jos Buttler was awarded the Player of the Series.
The start of the great Indian summer in Australia
Later that year, India and Australia squared off for three T20Is. David Warner’s absence was a blow for Australia. They even rested their regular bowlers. India were hampered by the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Worse, they were coming off a 1-2 ODI series defeat against the same opposition. India’s concussion substitute Yuzvendra Chahal won his side a closely-contested first game, while Hardik Pandya's blitzkrieg at the end saw India take the series in the second game. Australia came back strong and won the final match.
India went on to script history later in the tour by sealing a win in the Test series, breaching Australia's dominance in Brisbane after 32 years.
Stat trivia: Matthew Wade, who captained Australia in the second match, made a serious case for himself as the opener. He was the leading run-getter in the series, scoring 145 runs, striking at 154.3. Leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson had a good series, picking up five wickets at 13.8 and going under seven an over.
New Zealand trump Australia in the Trans-Tasman rivalry
Australia had several players missing from their ranks when they sailed across the Tasman Sea for a T20I series against New Zealand in February-March 2021. Australia lost the first two matches but came back strongly to hand New Zealand heavy defeats in the third and fourth matches. New Zealand clinched the decider to claim the series.
Skipper Aaron Finch continued his rich form with the bat, piling up 197 runs at 49.24, striking at 134. He received little support from the other batters. Meanwhile, Ashton Agar continued his good showing with the ball, claiming eight wickets under seven an over.
It was in New Zealand where it seemed Australia were not seizing critical moments that they once were experts in. Their bench wasn’t inspiring enough confidence either. Without key players, Australia looked like a pale shadow of their past.
The great Australian slump in the Caribbean
Australia’s tour of the West Indies further exposed their lack of quality in their bench. With the likes of David Warner, Steve Smith and Pat Cummins missing in the ranks, the tour was going to be difficult, but Australia of yesteryear would have a bench ready.
West Indies are a formidable opponent in the shortest format. For Australia, Mitchell Marsh rose to the occasion with little support from the others. Now, this has become a habit. One-person shows can’t win you games every time.
The series could well have ended 0-5 for Australia had Andre Russell not lost the plot in a brilliant over from Mitchell Starc. The series ended 4-1 in favor of the hosts.
The only positive for Australia from the tour was Mitchell Marsh’s form. The Western Australian all-rounder smashed 219 runs at 43.8, maintaining a strike rate of over 152. He also bagged eight wickets at 11, with an economy rate of 6.76.
Bangladesh complete Australia annihilation
With the T20 World Cup being hosted in the UAE, the Bangladesh tour would have provided Australia with ideal preparation conditions. Already missing a few key players, they were jolted by the absence of their captain Aaron Finch.
Matthew Wade was named captain for the series. Bangladesh spun a web around the visitors on slow surfaces that assisted spin, bringing up their first-ever international series win against Australia.
Shakib Al Hasan’s all-round efforts, fantastic bowling shows from pacer Mustafizur Rahman and spinner Nasum Ahmed helped Bangladesh win the low-scoring series 4-1.
In the final T20I, Australia were routed for 62, their lowest-ever T20I total. It turned out to be their shortest international innings in any format in their 144-year international cricket history.
Mitchell Marsh’s resilience on such challenging tracks and a brilliant bowling effort from Josh Hazlewood remain their only pluses.
Some of the top Australian players will get the needed preparations in the UAE during the IPL ahead of the T20 World Cup. However, winning is a habit that Australia know better than any side. But once you have lost it, it’s tough to regain it. It will be nothing short of folklore if Australia can turn the tide and script a memorable T20 World Cup campaign in the UAE later this year.
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