SWOT analysis of Australia’s T20 WC squad: Maintaining right balance the challenge for formidable Aussies

The big guns of Australian cricket have returned for the 2021 T20 World Cup. Most Australian players will receive apt practice during the UAE leg of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) ahead of the mega tournament. Therefore, the scars of their recent results will have little impact on their campaign.

Still, winning is a good habit, and no cricket team knows more about it than Australia, who have experienced a rather unique rollercoaster ride in their Twenty20 (T20) fortunes in the past two-and-a-half years.

They enjoyed an unbeaten run in 2019, completing a hat-trick of series wins that year. They beat India in India and won consecutive home series later against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. In early 2020, they toured South Africa and won 2-1.

Having last played a T20 World Cup semi-final in 2012, Australia could never stamp their usual cricketing dominance on this format. They are yet to win a T20 World Cup. But things seemed to change. In May 2020, for the first time in their cricketing chronicles, Australia climbed to the no.1 spot in the ICC T20I rankings.

With the T20 World Cup scheduled at home later that year, the Aussies seemed favorites to emulate their women’s team’s success.

The pandemic saw the T20 World Cup in Australia postponed by two years. Things took a drastic turn for Australia once cricket returned after the COVID-19-induced break.

Australia lost in England. Then India beat them at home before they suffered series losses in New Zealand, West Indies and most recently Bangladesh. Over the past year, five consecutive series losses have now pushed them to sixth spot in the rankings.

With 15 defeats in their 21 T20Is in a year’s timeframe is a new low for Australian cricket. But to be fair to them, they haven’t been with their full-strength side. While David Warner and Pat Cummins have not played four out of those five series, Steve Smith has played just six games out of those. Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Kane Richardson haven’t been a part of the recent tours to West Indies and Bangladesh. In fact, skipper Aaron Finch was injured in the West Indies and missed the Bangladesh side.

Although Australia took enormous pride in their bench strength, their fringe was exposed without the absence of the stars. In contrast, their top competitors India and England exhibited excellent bench strength in their recent campaigns against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, respectively.

Australian squad for the 2021 T20 World Cup: Aaron Finch (c), Pat Cummins (vc), Matthew Wade (wk), Josh Inglis (wk), Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Ashton Agar.

Travel reserves: Dan Christian, Nathan Ellis, Daniel Sams.

Superstars: Aaron Finch, David Warner, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, and Pat Cummins.

Players in form: Mitchell Marsh and Josh Hazlewood.

Dark horses: Josh Inglis and Mitchell Swepson.

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SWOT analysis of Australia’s 2021 T20 World Cup squad

Australia's bowling wears a formidable look.

Strengths: The return of the stars makes Australia look formidable on paper again. Australia’s bowling wears a terrific look with the experienced trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. Kane Richardson’s presence bolsters their death bowling. All-rounders Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis are more than able medium pacers. Don't forget the presence of pacers Nathan Ellis and Daniel Sams in their reserves. In Adam Zampa, Ashton Agar and Mitchell Swepson, they also have the right experience in their spin department.

Weaknesses: Australia are a top-heavy side. Aaron Finch and David Warner will continue to open. Steve Smith is usually a no.3. Mitchell Marsh’s recent exploits have come at the same number. It’s no different to wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, who bats the best in the top-three slots. Another 'keeper, Josh Inglis, scored his previous two fifties in The Hundred as an opener. However, he has also shown his prowess with the bat in the middle-order in the T20 Blast and Big Bash League (BBL).

In the two innings that Glenn Maxwell opened for Australia, he averaged over 105, striking at 225. There’s no doubt he will enjoy batting up the order, but he will need to don the role of a middle-order mainstay alongside Marcus Stoinis.

Australia’s major struggles in the recent past have been in their inability to finish matches despite good starts. With most batters preferring to bat at the top, the middle order looks brittle.

#DavidWarner in #IPL@DelhiCapitals — 2009-13@SunRisers — 2013-21#IPL2021 #legend pic.twitter.com/qSsMP1Qg8h

— Suvajit Mustafi 🖋🏏🎬|🇮🇳🇳🇿 (@RibsGully) August 20, 2021

Another factor that has hurt Australia in the recent past is David Warner’s strike rate. Since 2020, he has been striking at 128, which has brought down his career strike rate to under 140. Since IPL 2020, Warner has struck at 128, a number that has usually lurked around the mid-140s mark. In fact, in IPL 2021, his strike rate has been 110. His slow scoring rate saw him lose his spot in the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) squad and his captaincy.

Opportunity: The T20 World Cup is one major white-ball silverware that’s missing in the Australian trophy cabinet. Though at home, in 2022, they will receive a more favorable opportunity, winning it in alien conditions will mean a lot more.

Will Aaron Finch finally lift the T20 World Cup?

To their advantage, most of their key players will be playing in the IPL in the UAE, which will help them gain valuable match practice and get acclimatized to the Arabian conditions. Even chief selector George Bailey believes that the IPL will provide an excellent preparatory ground for experienced players.

Ricky Ponting has spoken highly of Josh Inglis. With Matthew Wade and Tim Paine heading towards the end of their careers, the tournament provides the Yorkshire-born Western Australian with a great opportunity to cement his place in the Australian setup.

Threats: Balance remains a question here. Can Australia accommodate all their stars in the line-up, or will they go the New Zealand way of 2016 where they benched Trent Boult and Tim Southee, adopting a horses-for-courses method?

Justin Langer has preferred the five specialist bowlers approach. If Australia adopt that, it would mean Stoinis missing out, considering Mitchell Marsh’s good form. If they go for the extra batter, there’s no option of playing two specialist spinners, a factor that will be critical in those conditions.

Pat Cummins hasn't played a T20I in a year.

The presence of Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood leaves no room for a specialist like Kane Richardson, whose death bowling and variations may have come in handy in such conditions.

Considering Australia will play England and West Indies in their group matches, they are likely to face several balls turning away from the right-handers. England have Adil Rashid and may also pick Matt Parkinson. West Indies have Hayden Walsh Jr. and Fabian Allen. With the middle order stacked with right-handers on slow turners, Australia will have to innovate with their strategy. Trying out Warner in the middle order may be an option they could try out.

Also, vice-captain Cummins won’t be playing the remainder of the IPL and hasn’t played a T20I since September. The lack of match practice may lead to some rustiness.

Australia's middle-order rustiness

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Australia's likely starting XI:

Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Steve Smith, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis/Adam Zampa/Ashton Agar (two of the three), Matthew Wade/Josh Inglis (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood

Australia's schedule in 2021 T20 World Cup:

• October 23, Saturday: vs South Africa at Abu Dhabi
• October 28, Thursday: TBD at Dubai
• October 30, Saturday: vs England at Dubai
• November 4, Thursday: TBD at Dubai
• November 6, Saturday: vs West Indies at Abu Dhabi